The path to Reconnection
by Zailyn
Summary: Post FFX-2. Tidus is back in Besaid but things aren't quite going as he thought they would. He feels disconnected in a world he doesn't recognize, even Yuna seems out of reach. So one day, he decides to go on a world trip with her, hoping to discover Spira all over again, and, especially, to discover each other all over again. Listen to their story. It might be their last chance.
1. Author's note

**I am back!**

I haven't been in this website for ages, and I didn't really plan to. Buuut, I finally decided to buy the remaster version of Final Fantasy X, it being my all-time favorite video game, a few weeks ago, and to say I wasn't pleased with Square Enix's _little surprise_ is the understatement of the century.

I don't know if you had the chance to listen to it, but it's bad. Like _bad_ bad. So I got to digging, aided by my sweet computer companion, trying to find out if they planned to make a FFX-3, hoping that what I had just listened to was merely the producers trying to toy a bit with our feelings, only to make it all alright in the end. And I stumbled upon something even worst: _**Eien no Daishō,**_ the story post FFX-2 by the actual creator of the story, Kazushige Nojima. And it's so bad you don't even want to know, trust me. I'm not even going to talk about how bad it is, I'm still not ready to talk about it actually. It's too fresh.

So here I was, growing sadder and angrier in front of my computer screen. I couldn't understand why the father of FFX wanted to continue the beautiful story he had once created that way. If you ask me, it only went downward from Final Fantasy X. Everything after that wonderful, profound game was just a growing disappointment to me. I didn't really like FFX-2, as in my opinion, it turns Yuna and Rikku into mindless women, with very reviling outfits—especially Rikku's, she's wearing yellow underwear with the shortest skirt I have ever seen, for God's sake—and throughout the game, its one calculated shot to show their asses after the other. I wonder why. Ahem ahem.

And that's not even the problem. What really bugged me is that it throws them into this shallow story, with shallow cut scenes and meaningless conversation between the three women à la poor copy of Charlie's angels. I mean, they actually _change clothing_ in the midst of fights, how shallow and awfully girly—in the worst sense possible—is that? Yuna dancing to blind her enemies? Yuna turning into a _freaking huge pink flower_?

Anyway, I got a bit carried away, sorry.

I just think it's sad to see that the first and only—if I'm not mistaken—Final Fantasy game with only girls as its playable characters turns them into shallow, girly and overly sexualized women. Especially someone as innocent and "pure" –and I'm not talking about the fact that she's a virgin (or is she? ;) that scene in Macalania anyone?)—as Yuna in FFX, and someone as sweet and genuine as Rikku in FFX. It's like they made a list of everything that made Final Fantasy X so special and threw it in the trash, to start anew, in yet the same world, that seemed smaller and less magical, somehow, and with the same characters. Why? I didn't want a copy of the X, but not something that _different_ , I guess. Hell, I would have preferred a copy of the X.

But anyway. I guess I can accept that sequel, more or less. What I cannot accept, however, is where they choose to take Yuna and Tidus' relationship to, post FFX-2. I can understand, and I agree, that things can't be that easy between them, not after Tidus was away for two years, and not after everything that went down between them, especially since, when you think about it, they never really had the time to really, really get to know one another during the story of the X. They had other priorities, to say the least. But these two are _endgame_. No doubt about it.

That's why I decided that since Nojima kept disappointing me, I would create my own FFX-3, and try and restore the beauty of Spira and recreate the magic of the story. So if you are, like me, big fans of Yunie and Tidus, _from the X_ , don't read the book, nor listen to the audio. But if you already have, like me again, and you want to think that they have never existed—and even if you haven't and just want a story post FFX-2—read on.

So here you go, I am—finally—done rambling and expressing my wrath. It starts right after that last ending scene in Besaid, when Tidus is back and everyone is happy.

Enjoy!


	2. Chapter 1 - An unexpected return

**The path to Reconnection**

 **Chapter 1**

–

 **An unexpected return**

Yes, Tidus was back, but things didn't quite go as he thought they would.

Sure, the first few days were spent in the bliss of his return. Besaid rose a feast to celebrate his coming back to Spira, Yuna couldn't believe it was actually happening and was stuck in a constant puppy mood, overjoyed and all over the place. Wakka instantly asked Tidus to be his child's godfather, and Lulu even trusted him enough to let him carry they baby—for a minute. But soon enough, the euphoria was gone, and everybody got caught up in their things again. Problem was, Tidus didn't have any 'things' to get caught up into here.

All he really wanted to do, was spend some time with Yuna. She had given him the sphere she had recorded for him during her journey with Rikku and Paine. They had watched it together on that first night, after everybody had gone to bed. They had taken a few bottles of wine, the rest of a cake and a blanket and had discreetly gone off to the beach. Yuna would pause the sphere from time to time, to add a few comments, or explain a little more, and Tidus would ask questions. She lied close to him, and he was lazily stroking her arm. It felt good, it felt natural, and yet... something fell off, but they both chose to ignore it. It was probably just the weirdness and awkwardness of his early return, it would certainly pass over time.

But once Tidus was all caught up with what she had been up to, they had both realized he didn't have anything to tell her. He hadn't changed one bit. He had merely stopped existing for two years. In his mind, they had just defeated Sin, and nothing had changed. But in hers, everything had. Spira was different, she was different, more mature, or so she thought. Sin being gone forever had changed so many things in Spira, had brought so much happiness and peacefulness. People's mentality and moral had evolved so much in so little time. Knowing Sin would never be back meant anything was possible, meant they could finally live without fear of dying or losing their friends and family. Everybody was so eager to live and to improve things that in only two years, Spira was like another planet.

And to top everything, He wasn't sure how he could fit in her life now. Since her adventures with the Gullwings were now over, she was back to Besaid full time and had a lot of responsibilities. She had people to advise, problems to solve. Tidus was sad to see that people in Spira still depended on Yuna so much. And sadder to see that she let it happen. But when he tried to make her understand that it was ok for her to let loose, she would only see it as him criticizing her and her way she was living her life and she rejected anything he would say. They were failing to understand each other. This two-year gap had desynchronized them, yet they refused to see it.

On a good day, Tidus had taken a walk, swam a bit, caught some fish even, and he would have a home cooked meal—with the help of Wakka, at first—ready for her when she got home. But those days grew rarer and rarer as time flew by, and Yuna could see he lacked purpose. Usually, after a long day of work, she would come home to discover that Tidus hadn't done much of his day, which didn't help improve his mood. And slowly, guilt crept and grew in her already worried mind. She felt guilty because he was back for her, and for her only, and she didn't have any time to spend with him. She couldn't fit him in his life anymore. And the biggest problem was that he only had her, really. He didn't have a lot of friends, just those in Besaid he was slowly learning to know, he didn't have any job, because this wasn't his world. The idea that he was entirely "for her" put a pressure far too heavy on their already fragile relationship. But they both ignored all this, and acted as if they were still so happy to see each other. "Couples fight, it's totally normal", Tidus would say. And she wanted to believe him so much.

Wakka, as assistant mayor and a full time dad, didn't have time to play Blitzball with Tidus or even to hang out with him really. He, Lulu and Yuna were always off at the temple, or at the docks, talking with some important people. They were planning to expand their city, now that it was safe to do so, and becoming a growing necessity—which was such a good sign for Spira.

Lulu, as mayor herself and a full time mom, had even less time to spend with him, had he want to—imagining himself hanging out with Lulu alone made him laugh, for some reason—especially with the baby. And when Tidus offered to babysit, Lulu gently—or rather, lulu-like—turned him down. She said he needed to spend a little more time supervised with him first. But, in time—which was very vague—she would accept with great pleasure, he was her godfather, after all.

He tried to make some friends, and he did, but it was a slow process and they all had jobs, or dreams, or something to motivate them. Tidus still loved Blitzball, even though he was rusty, and when the Besaid Aurochs occasionally came visit, he would happily play and train with them. They really had improved, Tidus was so impressed and proud. But they were usually off to Lucca, and even though they would always offer him to join, he felt like his relationship with Yuna wouldn't work at a distance. He would always tell them he would join them there eventually, "now's just not the right time". He just wanted to feel closer with Yuna, but truth be told, he was so bored here in Besaid.

And then came the day he decided they couldn't go on like this anymore.

There was some big issue at the temple, with Nooj's Youth League and Baralai's New Yevon. Thanks to Yuna, Rikku and Paine, among other factors, they both had decided, along with their friend Gippal, the Al-Bhed's leader, to rule Spira together in harmony. But they were still so different, and that's mainly why Yuna was needed, to play the negotiator and advisor of them both. They basically both wanted to do something radically different, and Yuna was, as usual, caught in the middle. Of what Tidus understood—Yuna usually never discussed her tasks with him, as if she didn't think he could understand, which would usually make for quiet diners—the main problem was that Nooj thought that the adoption system should be simplified, since so many children were still living in orphan homes, without families. He believed that age didn't necessarily equal maturity, and that was why younger people should be allowed to adopt, should they want to. Baralai on the other hand, thought it would be silly to just give out babies to 16 years old girls and boys, without doing a thorough background check on them first. It wasn't just because kids needed parents that anyone would do.

Yuna wasn't sure what to do, as she agreed with a few things on both sides. And when she had tried to ask Tidus for his opinion—which was a first, as she wanted to make a step towards him—he had disappointed her. Any other day, he would have been thrilled that she'd asked for his opinion, but today was one on those days where he felt so useless, and where Yuna felt so out of his grasp, and everything seemed too hard. Even when she tried to reach out to him, it didn't change the fact that they hadn't kissed and barely hugged in nearly two weeks. They were merely roommates on cold terms by now.

\- "What would you tell them, if you were me?" She had asked, her hand stressfully playing with her forehead expression wrinkles.

\- "I don't know, I think you should just stop worrying about things that much."

Yuna had just stared at him, and she sighted.

\- "That's not really helpful…"

\- "Yeah, well, you're out of luck, helpful isn't my forte these days", he sarcastically snapped, as he served himself more fish, his movements sharp, punctuating his sentence.

Yuna's crease in between her brows deepened, and she said nothing. He was suffering, and she didn't have any solution for it. She stood up, took a few of her things, and said:

\- "Look. I don't want to fight, so I'll go sleep at Lulu's and Wakka's tonight, alright?"

Tidus looked at her, sad that she would assume they were going to fight right away, that they weren't even capable of communicating. But then he realized that she was probably right, they couldn't seem to communicate lately, so he just nodded and looked away.

\- "See you tomorrow", she said in her little, sorry voice, and she gave him a small peak on the forehead.

That kiss felt so unnatural, and it was the first she had given him in weeks. He closed his eyes. What had become of them? This wasn't healthy, for either of them. They couldn't keep ignoring things. It was slowly killing their relationship. He couldn't, and wouldn't let that happen.

* * *

That evening, he thought about it all, and tried to find a solution. He thought about two years ago—which felt early in his memories—and what had brought them close, but he couldn't pin point one major reason, it was many things, really. So he went to lie on his bed and tried to change his approach.

Why was _he_ feeling so bad? What did _he_ miss in his life? He felt bored, useless, and invisible, to Yuna and to everybody else. He felt disconnected to a world he didn't know. Ironically, it felt like he was back to where he had been when he had first arrived in Spira, two and a half years ago. Stuck in strange world, a stranger to everything about it. And then it struck him. He sat up on his bed, looking intensively at the wall in front of him. He knew what he had to do, what would be best for him, and for Yuna.

So that night, he packed up all his things, which weren't much anyway. His mind was made up: he would leave Besaid.

* * *

On the next morning, he went to look for Yuna around lunch time, and asked her if she could give him a moment of her time.

\- "It's important", he simply said.

They went outside of the temple, and sat there for a moment before Tidus spoke out:

\- "Alright Yuna. I think we should finally be honest here. I'm just going to say what I think, ok? You've changed and I don't know who you are anymore, and you probably don't know who I am anymore. Heck, I don't even know who I am anymore."

Yuna took the hit. His words hurt, but she knew they were true. And it was time to accept their situation for what it was, rather than to keep ignoring it, like she had foolishly been doing.

\- "Where are you going with this?" She asked finally, traces of the pain from the initial shock still lingering in her voice. She cleared her throat and hoped he didn't notice.

\- "Well, yesterday I got to thinking. I have a lot of free time now, right? And I'd like to understand how Spira works now, and how I can fit into this whole mess, you know? So I figured, what better way to do that then to go on a world trip and discover it all again!"

\- "That's a ... Good idea, indeed", she said, taking a second hit.

That meant he would leave. That he would leave her. Maybe it was for the best anyway, they weren't happy together. And yet, a part of her couldn't stop thinking "but I just got him back".

Tidus said nothing, he just looked at her face, and a small smile creeped onto his lips as he understood her expression. "Maybe there is still hope", he thought.

\- "And I also thought, if you are up for it...", he paused, breathed out—boy this was hard—"that you could come with me", he added, really quickly. "That we could learn to understand each other again."

There. He had said it.

\- "I...", she started but he cut her off, feeling the need to keep talking.

He was trying to take some importance out of the idea he'd just thrown by drowning it into more and more words. But it was still there, stuck in the air between them, resonating as if someone had just screamed it from Mount Gagazet.

\- "I know you have responsibilities here. And I'm not asking you for an answer right away, I'll be going tomorrow morning, I think. It's all up to you, and I won't be mad, I won't blame you if you don't show up. I'll understand, I promise."

He knew how she would get; she never thought about herself first. So he knew better than to take offense if she didn't show. Plus, he knew how guilty she'd feel for not going if he didn't tell her it was alright.

He smiled at her reassuringly and she looked at him, puzzled. He gracefully stood up, bouncing his feet forward and then upward and walked towards her. He stopped in front of her for a minute, let his right hand rest on her shoulder for a bit, then walked away, calling after their red streaked-haired friend, wordlessly stating their heart-to-heart was over. Yuna sat there for a moment, reflecting. She wondered if his gesture just then really was all that she thought it meant. Was it his way of both saying goodbye to her and expressing his deep affection for her, just like back in Zanarkand Ruins? Was she reading too much into the gesture?

* * *

That afternoon, as Yuna arrived home, Tidus wasn't there–was he already gone? She couldn't stop a part of her from panicking. But she quickly found a note on the table that said "I'll be back in a bit—T". So she waited, the note in her hand. She already knew what to say to him.

* * *

\- "No. That's a terrible idea."

Tidus stood here, shocked. He had never imagined that his offer would get that reply out of him. Yes, his friend always had had a strict, close-minded side, just like back when he thought all Al-Bhed were bad people. But that was really harsh, even for Wakka, and Tidus couldn't see how it was his problem anyway. Before he got the chance to say anything, thought, Yuna had already spoken:

\- "Wakka", she said softly, but firmly nonetheless. "I know I have responsibilities here, and I already left once without warning you, and for that, I feel really bad. That's why I decided that I would talk to you before I left, this time. But please, do not think I need your permission. This is my story, and it has not been going the way I want it to for some time now."

Now, that was something that shocked Tidus even more. But definitely in a good way, this time.

\- "Right on, Yuna! Plus, I got an idea that you'll like Wakka! Yuna is here as some sort of counselor, right? And she receives visitors, or messages from all around the world, am I correct?"

Wakka nodded, his arms crossed, his brows furrowed. He looked displeased, to say the least, but at least he was listening.

\- "So why can't she go to them directly, instead of waiting for them to come here? That way, she does what she wants, but she can also advise people! I can be her guardian again, and it can be like a second pilgrimage to the temples… Only that it won't be to learn how to summon Aeons… nor to kill Sin. So … a much less sad pilgrimage! What do you say Wakks?"

\- "I think it's a great idea", Yuna said, turning to Tidus, smiling broadly. It was the first real smile she had granted him with since they had first saw each other again, and it felt good.

Wakka slowly nodded, growing founder of the idea with each passing second. They both anxiously waited for his reply. It felt like they were hoping their dad would grand them permission to go out.

\- "I'll talk it over with Lulu. But sounds like a plan to me."

And with that, he turned away.

\- "Wow, that was easier than I thought it would be! He changed his mind so quickly. Must be his father hormones", Tidus exclaimed.

\- "I heard that", Wakka growled.

Yuna laughed, and Tidus joined in. Finally, things were starting to look familiar again around here.

* * *

On the next day, they were on Besaid's docks, about to board on the famous S.S. Liki.

\- "Take care of our Yuna, ya?"

\- "You bet!" Tidus replied. His hand was brought up in a fist, his arm shaped like a 'V', which he pulled down in victory.

\- "You are welcome home anytime you like, Yuna, never forget that", Lulu said as she hugged Yuna.

\- "Thanks, you guys. I'll miss you. Write to me!"

\- "We will. Keep us informed of where you go and what you are up to. Don't forget to visit a few temples, but don't work too hard, ok? You've deserved some time off. You both did."

Lulu really had those rare, fleeting moments where she would say exactly what needed to be said, Tidus thought. He loved her for that.

* * *

\- "Ok Yuna! I have one ground rule for our journey! We can, and kind of have to, ask each other one personal question a day. But only one, understood?"

They were on the deck of the ship, and had just parted with their friends. Yuna turned to him, surprised. What was he up to?

\- "Hmm… why only one question?"

\- "So we have to make it a good one!"

Yuna thought about it for a bit. Only one personal question, huh? That seemed awfully little, and yet a whole lot more than what they had shared lately.

\- "Ok!" She agreed, "I'm in!"

Tidus smiled, feeling victorious. It felt like their relationship was finally starting to go on the right track.

* * *

They spend the first few hours of the trip meeting the people they were travelling with. Now that it was safe, a lot of people had been down for doing some travelling, and seeing what beauties Spira had to offer. They especially loved travelling on the super famous SS. Liki Lady Yuna and her guardians had used. They met a family, and a group of friends traveling back to Kilika. And of course, all of them wanted to talk to Lady Yuna. Not a lot, if any, people remembered Tidus, and who could blame them? He had literally disappeared a few minutes after they had destroyed Yu Yevon. Yuna would present him right away of course, as his guardian and his friend. He didn't mind, that's what they were now, and it was ok. It was better this way, than to pretend to be perfectly happy together when they were not. And it was nobody's business, but themselves, what they really were to each other anyway.

They had lunch with the captain. He claimed he was the guy who first brought them to Kilika, two and a half years ago. Tidus admitted he didn't remember him.

\- "Right back at ya, fellow stranger!" The captain said, slapping his hand on his shoulder.

As they got to talking, they seemed to be bounding, and the captain was warming up to Tidus. Yuna wasn't saying much, she just listened and admired Tidus people's skills. People had always warmed up to him pretty fast, including herself. He was easy to talk to, and had this calming, peaceful energy, this sense that everything would turn out ok in this end.

After lunch, a few people requested an audience with Yuna. She asked Tidus if he didn't mind her talking with them. He said no.

While she was off to a corner of the deck, on her session with the people, Tidus sat on the deck, eyes closed, letting the sea air softly brushing his face.

\- "Hey! So you're the famous guardian Tidus, right?"

He opened one eye, and looked at the intruder:

\- "Yup, that's me! Who are you?"

\- "I'm Karina, you met my mom and dad earlier. So thanks you know, for saving Spira and all."

Tidus let out a small laugh, nodding. Before he even had the chance of asking, she had begun telling him all about her life. She was 14 years old, and liked Chocobo riding. She'd love to be a professional, but in Kilika, there were no Chocobo around. She'd love to go to the Calm lands, meet with Clasko, the now famous Chocobo trainer, but her parents kept telling her she was too young for that. Plus, they had other plans for her. Tidus sympathized with her, and tried to make her feel better.

\- "You will be old enough soon, don't worry so much about it. For now, why don't you try to read books about Chocobo?"

\- "You mean like, read actual books and stuff?" She said, looking disgusted by the idea.

Tidus laughed. That girl was such a cliché teenager. A sweet one, though.

As she heard his laugh resonating on the deck, Yuna looked his way. She knew better than to be jealous, and the girl was rather young anyway. Yet she couldn't help herself eyeing them from time to time, just to know what he was up to. He was a good looking guy after all. And the girl looked kinda cute.

* * *

Night finally fell, and after diner, Yuna joined Tidus, back to his spot out on the deck, watching the horizon. He looked so lost in thought, she almost didn't dare bother him.

\- "That's where we first talked about your dad and you showed me the Jecht Shot", she said.

He didn't jump, as if he had sensed her presence before she had arrived. He didn't turn to look at her when he replied:

\- "Haha, yeah, that's right. Seems like it was in another life now."

Yuna could sense his nostalgia, and it was contagious. So she said, in an attempt to lighten up the mood:

\- "Do you think you could you teach it to me someday?"

\- "What, The Jecht Shot? Sure!" He replied, a bit distractively.

Silence grew again between them. Yuna moved a bit closer to her trip partner, and looked at the horizon, next to him. There wasn't much to see, as it was growing darker and darker, and yet she found herself deeply hypnotized by the view, it was soothing and intriguing. Anything could be in there, hiding in the darkness.

\- "So! I have my first question: Why exactly do you hate your dad so much?"

He seemed surprised by the question, his shoulders jerked back a bit:

\- "For many reasons…"

\- "Which are…?" She insisted.

\- "Hey, that's two questions!" He said, clearly teasing her.

She poked his arm, glad to see he wasn't that sad after all.

\- "You are not playing fair, come on! You didn't even answer me!"

\- "Alright, alright. Well first, I'll have you know I'm over my hatred of my old man now. I matured a lot as we all journeyed together, you know? And by the end of it, I finally understood my dad better, so I stopped hating him... Why are you laughing?"

\- "It's nothing", she smiled teasingly, "just the face you made when you said you'd matured… You looked cute."

Tidus blushed, taken aback by her words.

\- "See? You're distracting me! I lost track of what I was saying now…", he said, scratching his head to gain back some kind of composure.

\- "Sorry, sorry! She said, laughing some more, I'll stop. You were saying you understood him better."

\- "Oh yeah, right."

He paused, and got lost again in his contemplation of the horizon. Yuna patiently waited, knowing the story was to come:

\- "See", he finally started, "back home, my old man was always bringing me down, telling me I was no good, that I was a cry baby and all that stuff. And now, I understand it was just his way of making me stronger, of motivating me to be better than him. But as a kid I couldn't see that."

He paused again, and she tilted her head to one side, studying his face. His eyebrows were a bit furrowed, and he seemed so lost in his thought, time traveling in his mind. She hoped she hadn't sprung bad memories to the surface. Had she chosen her first question well?

\- "Plus", he continued, him being a Blitzall player and all, he wasn't around much. "And whenever he was, my mother was all around him, and I lost all her attention... I guess him being there always meant my mom would stop paying attention to me, and also meant I was going to get brought down, somehow. Now I understand he just didn't know how to love me. But the important thing is that he did."

Yuna was still looking at him, studying his face some more. She nodded.

\- "I understand."

\- "Say", he added, still not looking at her, "what was he like with you? When you met him?"

\- "Uuuuh, wanna use your precious and only question now, Tidus?" She teased.

She rarely ever said his name, and it felt strange when she did. But he liked it. He liked the sound of his name with her voice.

\- "Oh man", he said, scratching his head again, "I don't know. What if I find something better later? Can this be like a bonus question?" He looked at her hopefully.

\- "Nope! Only one question a day, rules are rules!" She replied, pointing one finger next to her slightly tilted head. "Plus, you're the one who made them up in the first place!"

\- "Oh maaaaan!"

Yuna laughed as he whined, glad to see he was accepting to play in her game.

\- "Ok. Let's see. It's night time already, and I still haven't used it. So I guess… I guess I'm gonna go with this one!"

\- "Alright! So let me think… Jecht was nice to me, not at all how you described him, actually. I guess maybe he had already changed a bit when he arrived there. Oh, and also, my father was the one who got him out of jail, so he couldn't be mean to me, his daughter, I guess", Yuna said, laughing on that last part.

Tidus smiled, more for himself than for Yuna.

\- "He told me a lot of stories, and described your Zanarkand. He talked about you, too."

\- "What did he say?" Tidus said, immediately clearing his throat. He had seemed too eager just then, and he felt a bit embarrassed.

\- "That he had a kid about my age back home. Always crying, but a good kid, with a good heart, always helping out his mom when his old man was out playing Blitzball. He said he couldn't wait to go home to tell you all about this world."

\- "Hm", Tidus replied, considering her words. "Thanks."

\- "You are most welcome. Sorry, I never shared this with you before, I should have. I guess I never thought about it."

\- "Don't worry about it", he shrugged. "I never asked."

Yuna nodded, although he wasn't looking his way. They both stared silently at the obscurity of the clouded night y. It seemed to be melting with the dark, calm waters, making it impossible to know where the sky began, and where it ended. The waves were smoothly crashing against the ship, only sound troubling the silence of the night. The wind was starting to get a bit cold, but it was nice, Yuna thought. It felt salty, and exhilarating. It brought back so much memories, to be here on that ship, with him.

Their story began again now. This might be their last chance.


	3. Chapter 2 - The journey begins

**Chapter 2 – The Journey begins**

Yuna awakened to the sound of birds squeaking. It felt so early, as she could still feel the coldness of the outside, but she didn't feel tired anymore. They would soon reach Kilika. Excited by the idea, she stood up quickly and went to open the window of her cabin: The sky was still pinkish, less clouded than before, much like her own mind. She quickly noticed Tidus, at the same spot he was yesterday—he really did like his spot, she thought—staring at the sky. She looked at him some more, wondering what he was thinking about. She wished she could creep up inside his head right then, so she'd know. She decided to join him and try to ask him. It was the next best thing.

\- "Good morning! It's not like you to be up so early!"

\- "Yeah…" he lazily replied. "I wasn't tired anymore, for some reason. I just feel like, now that I'm back, that I got this second chance at life, I wanna live it to the fullest, you know?"

Yuna slowly nodded. She closed her eyes for a second.

\- "I know exactly what you mean", she said softly, the weight her words held perfectly understood by the both of them.

And just like the night before, they stared in silence at the sunrise. Tidus discreetly—or so he hoped—glanced at Yuna. It was her turn to be lost in thoughts now, and the view was breathtaking. He cleared his throat and turned his head back to the sky, narrowing his eyes. The view of the landscape was nice, that's what he had meant, of course.

Birds were flying by, squeaking happily. One great pinkish cloud was expending into the pale blue sky, growing so big the colors of the sky seemed to vary from pink to blue, stripped like a zebra. The sun appeared trapped inside of it, its light still strong enough to cast a bright, orange-pink reflect onto the surface of the sea. Far, far away, they were starting to see some mountains, and as they grew closer, swiftly sweeping across the sea, they began seeing trees, forming a big forest.

\- "Land ahoy!" Yelled a member of the crew, slowly echoing by others.

People were slowly starting to wake up, and before they knew it, they weren't alone on the deck anymore. A few member of the group of young people, Laïla, Shun and Tekk, came to chat up with them, not even realizing they had just spoiled a moment Tidus and Yuna were having. Tidus was a bit bumped at first, but those people were so nice he quickly forgot about it.

* * *

 **First Stop: Kilika**

As he set foot on the piles composing Kilika, Tidus felt how different the city was. Of course, the last time he had come was right after a brutal attack by Sin, that had left most of the village destroyed and its people devastated. Now, kids were running around, attracted by the animation their ship provided. Other were busy unloading other ships' cargos and carrying them to a market close by. Tidus could hear chatter, laughs, life. That was it. The city was full of life.

Yuna, studying his stunned face, said:

\- "Fancy a little tour?"

\- "Yeah!" He breathed out, mouth open, his eyes shining in excitement.

They walked around the market, composed by a multitude of little wooden huts. Some were selling freshly caught fish, other flowers and ointments that came most definitely from the forest. One that caught Tidus' attention had built those little figurines of Aons, and other little fiends out of wood, stone, and even cutlery. He was about to show one to Yuna when he abruptly stopped. One figurine was _of Yuna._ She noticed it too, and blushed.

\- "Yeah, that is embarrassing…"

\- "I like it!" He smiled. "How much is it?" He asked the broad smiling old man.

\- "Tidus!" Yuna whined, a little annoyed he would even consider buying such a thing.

\- "Relax!" He laughed. "I'm just kidding", he added, smiling apologetically at the seller as they strolled passed his hut onto the next ones.

He looked at her, and then he let his glance wonder around the huts full of knick-knacks and others trinkets, some more interesting than others. As he did so, he added softly:

\- "I'm lucky enough to be with the real model, why would I need a bad copy?"

Yuna's heart skipped a beat, and she let out a small laugh so he wouldn't notice how much this had just affected her. Truth was, the comment was so sudden she felt a bit overwhelmed. What was she supposed to answer to that? "thanks"? She looked at him, and he was already looking at her, a soft smile on his face he seemed to have saved just for her. She smiled back, sighting a bit.

\- "Look!" She said, pointing at one hut selling paintings. They were of all shapes and sizes, some representing breathtaking landscapes from all over Spira, other more abstract.

Tidus' gaze focused on one in particular. It was rather small, but so much seemed to be going on inside it, his eyes quickly got trapped in its contemplation. Blue, purple, pink and a little green seemed to mingle in a spiral on the left, while warmer colors, like red, orange and yellow, on the right side of the painting were exploding into so many different shades. The painting seemed to express so many emotions, from a sort of warm powerfulness with the bursting of the reds and yellows, to softer, calmer emotion, just as powerful, with the purples and blues. If Tidus had to guess, he would say it looked like the meeting of the moon with the sun, and they seem to fit well together. He looked at Yuna, and realized she was looking at the same painting.

\- "I like this one."

\- "Me, too", she replied.

She looked at him then, and it was as if, for a fleeting second, they could perfectly read into each other's eyes. Tidus could swore they were thinking the same thing, both lost in a perfect osmose.

\- "It's 900 gils", the merchant said, and they both looked at him, attracted by the sound. Their connection got cut then, and yet they still felt warmer, their breaths heavier.

They both smiled at him, as a social mechanism, a sort of reflex when staring at someone for a beat too long. But truth was, neither of them had understood what he had said. So Tidus nodded, hoping it wasn't a question, and they kept walking.

Yuna could swore Tidus' fingers had brushed up against hers on purpose, but it had only happened once. Maybe she had imagined it, after all.

She really did like that painting.

* * *

They toured for a bit more around the city, and had lunch on a small Inn close by the port. They chatted, talking about distinct things they had liked about the small market, purposively omitting to talk about that painting. Tidus said he wanted to go back and buy that Tonberry fluff toy for her.

\- "That thing has always given me major creeps!" He laughed.

\- "Same here! It would always pop up in such creepy places, too! Like in the Cave of the Stolen Fayth, and Omega ruins, remember?"

\- "Oh yeah, that's right! That Marlboro thing was ugly and creepy as hell, too", he replied, shivering at the thought of the gigantic green and blue spiky octopus fiend.

\- "I know right! So hard to kill, too. I would have to cast so many Esuna to heal you guys."

Good times.

* * *

Yuna had a meeting with some important people—Tidus had forgotten their names and roles, though he vaguely remembered Yuna telling him—at the temple during the afternoon, so they crossed the forest to reach it, meeting a few fiends on their way. Tidus was a bit rusty, but Wakka had given him back his blue sword, Brotherwood, and his skills were quickly coming back to him. He had missed it. Yuna, was back to a more magical approach—she had grown sick of her two guns—but her staff was almost sword-shaped, so she could eventually wound the fiends using only her own strength—which Tidus was impressed by. She was so strong she barely even needed him there.

\- "What will you do while I work?" She had asked, worried he'd get bored, as they finally reached the doors of the Kilika temple.

\- "I'll find something, don't worry about me!"

Somehow, Yuna felt a bit relieved they were going to be apart for a while. Not because she was growing tired of Tidus, but more because it was draining to be with him. He was so much, in such a good way, she felt she needed time to reassess, to gain back some composure. Weirdly, it felt like they had just met—again. It all felt so new, so exiting, so—like two and a half years ago. How could she have forgotten how special he was?

\- "Lady Yuna, are you listening?"

\- "Oh yes, sorry Mr. Mep."

Phew, she needed to pay more attention. She put all her Tidus-related thoughts back in a little box, inside her head, and sealed it off. She couldn't wait to open it again, later tonight, to think about it some more, but it would have to wait for now.

* * *

Tidus walked around the temple, looking at people and smiling to himself. Seeing how happier people were made him so happy himself. He knew the Eternal calm was partly thanks to him, and he felt so proud. He had done his part well, as Yuna's guardian, and… friend. He sat on a bench, close to the temple. As he let his mind wander off, he suddenly felt a violent and sharp pain at the back of his head, accompanied by a loud "thud" that rang in his left ear.

\- "Sorryyyyyyyy sir! I am so so so so sorry!"

Tidus, a bit confused, looked around him to see first a kid running in his direction, and second, a blitzball ball at his feet.

\- "Aouch! Did you throw that?" He said, scratching the back of his head, where the ball had hit him.

\- "Yes…" said the kid, now standing in front of him. "I am so sorry sir! I have to improve my aim."

\- "That you do! But hey, you're strong for a kid your size! You must be good."

\- "Actually… not really", the kid mumbled, embarrassed. "The other kids usually don't let me play…"

And with that, Tidus knew how he was going to spend his afternoon.

\- "You're in luck kid!" He said, proudly jumping out of the bench. "I am a blitzball player myself. Well an ex one, anyway. Fancy a free class?"

\- "Really? I-I would love to! Can I call my friends up to join? Do you mind?"

\- "Not at all! The more, the merrier!"

* * *

Yuna was done around the late afternoon, and instantly saw Tidus. He was standing not too far away, on the Temple's paved place. He was surrounded by a group of kids looking up at him in awe, a blitzball ball in hand, explaining something to them and gesturing it slowly so they'd understand. As cute as the scene was, Yuna's first thought was that Tidus really seemed like one more child in this group. "It's true, he always was a bit immature.", she thought, a bit bummed at the realization.

Tidus, feeling a gaze on him, turned his head in Yuna's direction. Instantly, his face broke into his broadest, heart-stopping grin and waved at her.

Yuna's face softened and she returned his smile as she waved back at him. She felt butterflies in her stomach. His smile had always had such an effect on her, she couldn't seem to help it.

\- "Sorry kids, your awesome teacher's got to go! It was fun though. Call me up when you become a champ, kid!" He said as he vigorously brushed the blitzball thrower's curly brown hair.

\- "Thanks sir! Will do!"

\- "You know Lady Yuna?" Asked another as he saw her approaching.

\- "Course I do! I was one of her guardians", he replied proudly, his thumb directed at his face.

\- "Whoaaaaaaa!" They all exclaimed at the same time after bowing to him. "Thank you for saving Spira, sir!"

Tidus scratched his head, suddenly feeling all embarrassed. He wasn't used to this. Well, he did have some fan and groupies back when he played blitzball for the Zanarkand Abes, but this was very different. A bunch of kids were thanking him for allowing them to go to bed at night without the fear of another Sin attack. It was big.

\- "Oh... You know, it wasn't err... I mean, thanks… You… you can all stand up now."

Yuna, now caught up with him, laughed at him, both amused and touched by his reaction.

\- "You're all red, Mr. Guardian."

\- "Shut up!" He said, but instantly started laughing with her.

* * *

They slowly turned back to the port area. Tidus had his arms crossed at the back of his head, and he felt relaxed and good. He had a very good first day.

\- "How were your meetings?" He asked.

\- "Nice enough", she replied. "Mr. Lihnka, the new mayor, wanted my opinion on a few of his projects. I don't know if I'm allowed to tell you this, but he wants to build a new school, and maybe even a blitzball club, for instance."

\- "Oh that's pretty cool! The kids back there seemed really into it. They could be good recruits, in a few years."

\- "Yeah, I saw that. You seemed to be a really good teacher."

\- "I guess you'll have to discover that for yourself, once I'll teach you the Jecht Shot", he replied, half teasing.

She laughed, nodding.

\- "I guess so!"

The sun was almost done setting on the ocean in front of them, and the atmosphere was so peaceful. It always seemed to be this way when they were together lately.

\- "Fancy a drink?" He asked.

\- "Sure!"

* * *

They got into a small Inn, and sat at the bar. After a while, a few people, recognizing Yuna, came to ask if they could join them for a bit.

\- "Do you mind?" Yuna asked Tidus.

\- "No, come on! No problem!"

A lot of people seemed to enjoy talking about themselves. It didn't bother Tidus, though, and he really hoped it didn't bother Yuna, since that was basically what she did all day, listening to people's lives and problems.

Fyral, a 22 years old chef working at the place next door, was telling Yuna about her recipe made out of ice flan. The problem was that it was pretty expensive to make, since she had to order the ice flans all the way from Macalania. But she also made this incredible Ragora salad. She and Tidus were definitely invited at her restaurant tonight, if they were interested, of course.

Tidus, distractively looking at the front door, suddenly noticed a familiar figure: He was shirtless, expect for two leather stripes crossing in the middle of his chest, and a pair of high-waisted, quite large pants completed his outfit. His arms and shoulders were quite big, and you could say he was a muscled man. As the guy turned around, Tidus suddenly recalled who the guy was:

\- "Barthello?"

He looked in his direction, and after a bit, his face lightened up. He ran to grab and hug Tidus so tight, the blond-haired man literally could feel all the air leave his lungs at once. He, quite pathetically, tried to move his hands up and down, for the mere reason that this was all he managed to move out of Barthello's firm grasp.

\- "Tiduuuus! I heard about your return, but I can't believe you are actually here! I have to tell Dona. Oh! And Lady Yuna! What an honor!" He said, almost hyperventilating. He put Tidus down—to his greatest relief—and turned to bow in Yuna's direction. "Can I invite you both to dinner? Dona will be thrilled!"

\- "Eeeerm", Tidus started, confused, "are we talking about the same Dona? Blacked-haired? A big red bow in her back? Always angry at something?"

Yuna laughed a bit, amused by Tidus quirky remarks, and nodded at Barthello.

\- "We will be delighted, thanks Barthello."

\- "If I may", Fyral started, "I can extend my invitation to my restaurant to the four of you, if you're interested. It's on the house!"

* * *

The diner was pleasant enough, although Dona had, as usual, to criticize every decision Yuna made. Tidus had to literally keep eating so he wouldn't be rude to her. He knew Yuna wouldn't like him defending her—she liked to fight her own battles, and he respected that. But still, he couldn't understand how she could just stand there, smiling and nodding, while Dona was talking about how Yuna's ex-outfit was way too revealing, with the big "T" shaped hole in her white shirt, and her skirt showing more than half her butt. Who was she to talk? Had she, like, looked in a freaking mirror lately?

He wished he could distract himself by talking with Barthello, but as sweet as the guy was, he was clearly not a talker. So he drank a lot of water, ate slowly, always making sure he had something to busy up his mouth so he wouldn't embarrass Yuna.

\- "So, what's up with you two, anyway? Have you done the deed yet?" Dona asked, as if that was the most normal thing to say.

Yuna almost chocked on her water, and Tidus looked away, taking a bit of the ice flan—they took so long to chew, he was saved.

\- "We… I mean, we…" Yuna started.

He felt so bad for letting her deal with the awkward question, so he quickly gulped down the thing and said:

\- "Not sure that is your problem, Dona."

She looked at him, like a cow looks at a fly bothering her. He didn't regret one bit. She had gone too far, and he had said it in the nicest way possible. Yuna looked at Tidus, both relieved and chocked he would dare to say that. Dona shook her head, her hand covering her face.

\- "Fine, fine. It was just a joke, don't get your panties in a knot, kid."

Barthello laughed, a bit too loud and too suddenly, at his girlfriend—wife? Tidus wasn't sure—"joke", but at least it efficiently broke the awkward silence that had installed. And Dona was back to talking, explaining to Yuna how she should try to control her boyfriend better—like she did, with Barthello.

* * *

\- "I have my question", Tidus stated, as they were both walking below Kilika's starry night sky. They had decided to spend the night here, since Yuna had one more meeting early in the morning.

\- "Shoot!" She said.

\- "Why did you let Dona criticize you and said nothing?"

\- "Hmm…" Yuna thought out loud. "Because… Because I don't mind her telling me what's on her mind. I'm sure she feels like she is helping me, because she wants me to be better, more like her vision of what is right. When she criticizes, I don't think it really is about me. It's about her own vision of life, of what one's has to do, and how I am far from her ideals. I think it's because she respects me, and bears an interest in me as a person, enough that she tells me all this. I understood that when I went to see her again with Rikku and Paine."

\- "Hmm… I see", Tidus replied, reflecting. "I guess I understand."

They walked a bit in silence. Tidus admired Yuna's acceptance of Dona, which just seemed like a raging bitch to him. But as long as Yuna was ok with it—and didn't plan to become more like her—he was also fine with it.

\- "I have mine too! What did you think of Kilika today?"

Tidus didn't have to think about his reply a lot. He had been thinking about it all day:

\- "It has changed so much, so fast. I remember the last time I was here. Sin had just attacked and destroyed the village, and killed so many people. And you had done your sending. I still didn't really understand your world at that time. But I understood their suffering. And now... Now I couldn't see one bit of it. People were so happy, it seemed like this gigantic weight had been taken off of their shoulders. Now, Sin is gone, and they can finally live without fear. It is so different to know it, as a fact, than to see it in people's smiles."

\- "Hm. My thoughts exactly", she said as she opened the door of their Inn.

\- "Lady Yuna! Mr. guardian! Here is your key to your room", the Inn keeper brightly said.

\- "One… One key?" Said Yuna as she grasped it, her eyes open wide, quickly blushing.

\- "Oh! I-I just assumed... Oops! Sorry. I'll go fetch you a second one, we must have another room available."

Yuna looked away, but Tidus knew she was blushing hard. He also knew better than to say anything, and chose to respect her pride. Part of him wanted to laugh at the situation though. It was the second time people assumed that about them, just tonight. But he managed to stand there quietly, until the man was back with the second key.

* * *

Knock knock knock.

\- "Tidus are you there?"

\- "Hmmmm", he groaned, putting the pillow over his head to muffled the noises. "Mooom, let me sleep a bit more, please."

\- "Moooom?" The voice exclaimed, a little mad, but mostly amused.

Tidus eyes sprung open, as he suddenly realized where he was. He clumsily got out of bed, his feet got caught up in the sheets and he almost fell over. He managed to get to the window and opened the curtains. The sun was far up in the sky. It was at least midday. Damn it, he had slept in!

\- "Sorry! I'll be down in a sec!"

\- "Ok, quickly though, please, or the boat will leave without us!"

* * *

As he got out, he found Yuna, sitting on a bench, her eyes closed. The sun was forming a veil over her soft, milky-like skin. Locks of her hair were lazily moving under the wind's will. She looked so at peace right there, right now, it took Tidus' breath away. She seemed to be meditating. He imagined her listening to the children's laughter, and taking it all in: the sun, the wind, the soft sea air.

But then her eyebrows furrowed a bit, as she sensed someone was watching her. She slowly opened her eyes, as if waking up from a dream, slowly setting foot into reality again. Tidus barely had time to close his mouth, which he hadn't realized had been opened until then, when her blue-green gaze fell on his. He instantly blushed, and so did she, under the intensity of his deep-blue eyed stare.

And then she slowly blinked once, as if choosing to forget to be ashamed for now, and softly smiled at him. Little creases formed below her eyes, a spark so genuinely sweet and soft dancing in them.

It was his turn to get the butterflies.

* * *

\- "You must be excited to see Luca again!" Yuna said, just to say something.

They had barely said anything to each other, and it wasn't like the two other times, where the silent was pleasant, each simply enjoying the presence of the other. This silence seemed now charged with something different, something unsaid. The problem was, Yuna couldn't fully grasp what exactly it was.

Tidus just nodded, smiling at her.

\- "I can't wait!"


	4. Chapter 3 - A bump on the road

**Chapter 3 – A bump on the road**

 **Second Stop: Luca**

\- "Tidus? Is that you?"

A blond, tall girl looked at them, astonished. An Al-Bhed, Yuna instantly figured out. Who was she?

\- "Linna? Oh my god hey!"

She approached them and hugged Tidus. Yuna didn't understand, where did _she_ come from?

\- "Yuna, this is Linna, we met in the blitz tournament, two years ago!" Tidus said, answering her silent question.

\- "Nice to meet you", Yuna said. When really, it wasn't nice to meet her. At all.

 _\- "The_ Yuna? Wow, you do have relations!" The girl joked, poking Tidus' arm.

Yuna, who usually liked everyone, wasn't a big fan of the girl. She wasn't sure why exactly. She looked at her from head to toes: The girl was quite tall, with short blond hair and weird Al-Bhed glasses.

\- "Say", the girl started again, totally ignoring Yuna, "are you free right now? I'd love to go grab a drink with you and catch up!"

\- "Ermm…" Tidus started, looking at Yuna.

She both liked and didn't like that he would ask his permission to go. Did he feel like he _had_ to ask her? She had a meeting anyway, but in that moment, she really wished she didn't.

\- "Go", she said, literally forcing the word out of her mouth, that closed in a hard line.

\- "Are you sure?" Tidus asked, worried. She didn't look pleased. And truth was, he didn't really mind not going, he would much rather spend time with her.

Yuna nodded, both trying to convince him and herself that it was all fine—peachy, even.

\- "Of course!" She exclaimed, hoping it hadn't sound as forced as she had heard in her head. "I have a meeting in a bit, anyway."

Her meeting wasn't until three in the afternoon—and it was barely midday. Tidus still wouldn't budge, looking at her funny. What was his problem? She had said twice there were none!

\- "Go!" She repeated, trying her best to sound convincing. She forced a smile, but quickly gave up on the idea, she couldn't smile right now.

\- "Ok…" Tidus finally accepted. "I will meet you back at that place we whistled at—four? Five?"

She knew exactly where he meant, and it almost hurt that he would talk about their 'spot' right here, right now, when he was abandoning her to go on a date with another girl.

\- "Sure!" She said, and quickly turned away. She wasn't even sure where she had to go, but she acted as if she did, until they were out of sight. She needed to work on her lying skills. Bad.

* * *

 **Third Stop: Mi'ihen road**

\- "Yuna, what's wrong?"

\- "Nothing!" She lied.

He had met her at the spot, like they had planned. Only he hadn't seen the time—that Linna girl sure was a talker!—and he was half an hour late. But he had apologized, and tried to make her laugh, or just talk ever since. But when he had started whistling, and still she wasn't reacting, he knew something was really going on.

\- "Come on. I can see something is clearly wrong. Spit. it. out."

She said nothing. Tidus sighted. Yuna just shook her head, sighed and stood up.

\- "Shall we go?" She just said, and without waiting for his reply, started to climb the stairs that led to Mi'hen road.

But Tidus wasn't having it. They were going to talk about this, whether she liked it or not. He followed her to the stairs, waited for her to talk. And when he realized she wasn't going to, ever, he said:

\- "Are you jealous? Is that it? Because if you are you, I can tell you you have no reason to…"

\- "No, I don't care. I don't care that you spent the entire day with another girl, when I remember you asking me to come with you on this trip!"

There it was. So she was jealous. Part of him was happy about it, but only a small part. She really seemed angry. And it was weird, seeing Yuna really angry. He didn't get it. He didn't think he deserved it, really.

\- "Are you being real right now? I asked you like three times if you didn't mind me going! I did want to spend the day with you, but I didn't feel like saying no, she is one of the rare friends I made in Spira. It felt good to see a familiar face. Plus, I only spend a few hours _talking_ with her. And she was the one talking alone, most of the time, anyway."

\- "I said I was fine!"

Oh, he was starting to lose his patience. Yuna wasn't stopping. If anything, she was walking faster and faster, almost running away from him. He came to stand in front of her, next to a blue, healing sphere, a little after the top of the stairs.

\- "Yuna, freaking hell! Why can't you ever say what you really feel! It's exhausting sometimes."

\- "Sorry I'm exhausting you", she said, and she just moved to his left and kept walking. Tidus sighed again. She was acting like such a moody teenager right now, he couldn't believe it.

\- "You know it's not what I meant…" He looked at the skies, as if asking for some help.

\- "Wanna know what really is exhausting?" She suddenly said, finally stopping to face him. "Spending all your time with a man who acts like a little child!"

And it was as if she had slapped him. Hard. She immediately seemed to be regretting what she had said, but it was too late to take it back, so she said nothing, and looked down at her hands, ashamed.

Tidus slowly nodded, his heart beating so hard he could feel it thumbing in his throat, where a knot seemed to have formed. So that's what she really thought of him. Well, he had always sensed it anyway, ever since he had gotten back to Spira. And now, at last, the truth was out. That's what he had wanted from her anyway, right? He wanted her to say what she felt. Well, she had. He had hoped for a different answer, but she had.

\- "I see. I understand now. If that's ok with you, I'm going to go for a walk. I'll meet you again at Rin's inn tonight. OK?"

Yuna said nothing, head still down, biting her lips, tears threatening to explode out of her eyes. She slightly nodded, and heard him walk away. After a bit, she looked up at him. His head was down, his hands in his pockets. He seemed lifeless, drained of his usual ray of light.

* * *

She sat where she had, back when she had recorded her goodbye sphere, two years ago, and she was thinking, trying to find the answers. She was trying to understand him, but mostly, she was trying to understand herself.

Without a sound, nor a word. Tidus had come back to her. He sat next to her, and suddenly her heart started beating faster. What now? Was he going to say he wanted them to part ways? Would that be the right solution? Were they really that incompatible now? For some reason, she felt like it was all up to him, on that moment. As the silence was drawing on, Yuna started to panic, and to imagine every scenario: "He is going to say he hates me, that he doesn't want to see me again. No, that's silly, he doesn't look mad", she thought. She realized she had been staring at his face for a beat too long, so she quickly looked away. No, he looked sad. He was probably going to say he had realized they couldn't work out, even though they had tried. And that was somehow worse than if he'd say he hated her. Because hate was a fleeting emotion, hate could disappear quickly, once the heat of the moment had passed. But sadness… It meant he had given up on her, on them, on what they could be.

The silence was slowly driving her insane, and she couldn't stop herself from looking at him again. He was looking at her, too, and her heart skipped a beat. She breathed in, and her eyes were pleading him to say something. But he didn't, he just stared back at her, in silence. Some of the sadness was gone from his face, but a few hints of it still shined in his eyes. The ghost of a smile reached his lips, but not his eyes. The orange light of the sunset was highlighting some of his features, changing his face a bit. He seemed… different. So serious, and it wasn't like him. He turned his face away from hers, and went back to staring at the view. Just when she was about to say something, just to break this unbearable silence, he simply stated:

\- "I have my question."

And with that sentence, Yuna let out a reassured sight, and some of the weight on her shoulders was gone. She hadn't even realized she had been holding her breath until just now. He was still playing their game, so it meant things couldn't be that bad yet. She looked at him expectantly.

\- "Why is it that, that you can't say what you really feel?"

Yuna let the question sink in. Why was it, really? She felt she didn't know the answer. But she didn't want to tell him just that, so she thought about it some more. He patiently waited, and she chose to take her time. But her thoughts seemed to be all clogged up, and so she started to speak:

\- "I guess… I guess I feel like I can't tell them. Like I shouldn't, because I have to be strong, because I have to control them, because I don't want to feel them, so I think that if I ignore them for long enough, they will go on their own. I feel like I shouldn't bother people with them, that I have to power through them and be stronger, to be their protector."

Tidus sighted. She wondered if her answer had disappointed him. But it wasn't an angry sight, nor a happy one. It was just a sight, because he was thinking about what she had said.

\- "You do know Sin is dead now, right? That it is alright to live your life the way you want to?"

He was right. Of course he was. But she didn't know what to say to that. Yes, she knew he was gone, she knew she could be happy now, but something was stopping her, and she couldn't figure out what... Tidus spoke again, stopping her train of thoughts.

\- "Feeling what you feel, expressing it, that does not make you weak. You are not weak because you are sad, or angry, or happy. You can't make them go away. You shouldn't even try to. You are allowed to have emotions. I think… I think you should never have had to handle such pressure, two years ago. You literally bore the weight of the world on your shoulders, and you couldn't be seen sad, or angry, or even bummed out. And that's not fair, Yuna. But anyways, that part of your life is over now. You have done your part; you can relax now. You are so strong, nothing is ever going to change that. But I think… I think you should just breathe, you know? Let loose, accept that you have feelings, and learn to express them, so I can understand what's wrong, and so we can talk about it. I can't always read your mind, Yuna. As much as I try."

As he said all this, Yuna finally understood. She understood how wrong she had been about him. He was not childish, had never been. She just judged him, wrongly so, because he did express his emotions, and she regarded herself as such a grown up because she didn't. But she had just realized, at that moment, how wrong she had been. Keeping her feelings to herself did not make her a grown up. He was more of a grown up than she was, in that regard. She felt so terrible, so childish herself. Yuna was looking down at her hands, before she could stop it, a tear fell down on them.

Tidus noticed, and grabbed her hands.

\- "I am sorry if I was rough on you."

Yuna shook her head. She couldn't believe he was apologizing. It somehow made her feel worse. Because he wasn't even angry with her anymore, he had forgiven her, and she didn't feel like she deserved it yet. And she was seeing how good he was, how accepting. So she did what she felt was right, even if it seemed so hard. She told him how she felt.

\- "I am sorry for what I said to you. I _was_ jealous back there, but I didn't want to stop you from going with that girl, so I said I was fine. I thought it would pass, but when you got back, a little late, I was so mad. Mostly at myself, but at you, too. I was mad because you couldn't see I didn't want you to go, even when I said it was fine. I expected you to read my mind, and that was so wrong of me. I don't think you are like a little child; I didn't mean that. I just wanted to hurt you, because you had hurt me. That was stupid, and I am truly sorry."

Tidus nodded, and squeezed her hand in his. His hand was so warm, and hers so cold. But as time was passing, with his hand on hers, his hand was getting colder, and hers warmer, slowly reaching the same temperature. It was a slow process, but it was happening nonetheless.

\- "It got you to open up to me, so I am glad it happened. You are forgiven."

And in that moment, Yuna burst into tears. She didn't know why really, but she did anyway. Maybe it was the relief that he forgave her, maybe just an accumulation of stress, of anger, of sadness, all mixed up together. She couldn't remember the last time she had yelled at someone. And although Tidus was the last person she ever wanted to yell at, he was also the only one she felt confident enough with to ever dare. It was a good sign, probably.

He slowly came to sit closer to her, and he circled her waist with his left arm, bringing her even closer to him. He let his forehead rest on the back of her head, and smelled her hair, slowly breathing out as he closed his eyes, hurt by her pain. And then he whispered slowly in her ears, in her hair.

\- "You don't have to protect everyone anymore. Let me protect you."

* * *

They stayed like this for a long, long time. Slowly, Yuna was getting calmer and calmer, and Tidus patiently waited, kissing her on the top of her head from time to time. He said nothing, as he felt he had said his part, and she didn't either, she just focused on calming her breathing. He rocked her slowly, in his arms, and closed his eyes. He was trying to take her suffering away, just with the strength of his embrace. He hoped his love was reaching her, but he really had no doubt. She was squeezing him hard, her head buried in his chest. The night had fallen, and stars where everywhere, shining for them. A thin crescent moon, almost absent, gave them a small, hopeful light. He looked around them, and sighed. Yuna had finally calmed down, but they were still hugging in silence. There was nowhere he'd rather have been.

\- "Thank you," she whispered softly. And he smiled, his chin resting on her head.

\- "You're very welcome."

It was time for them to do something fun, he decided. It still looked early enough, so he decided they should go back to Luca, as they had barely gotten the chance to explore, and most of all, he wanted to see a Blitzball game. And he knew, those would usually start pretty late, and he was with Lady Yuna anyway, they were sure to get tickets. Although she didn't like to profit of her special status. He thought it was alright, she had completely deserved it, it was the least Spira could do for her. She agreed, and finally moved her head to look at him.

A single tear was rolling on her right cheek, so Tidus dried it away with his thumb. Their heads were so close then, he could feel her breath on his face. Inhaling, exhaling. Should he kiss her? He wasn't sure, she looked so fragile, so vulnerable just then. He noticed she was looking at his lips, too, and then back at his eyes. Her mouth opened a bit, as if she wanted to say something, but she didn't. He moved a bit closer to her face, slowly, like a little boy trying to tame a savage fox, and she let him. But then, suddenly realizing where she was, where he was, she panicked and turned away, blushing like crazy. He sighed and nodded, for himself. "Not yet", she was silently letting him know. He had gotten the message, and he was ok with it. He cleared his throat, and got up.

She turned to look up at him, and he grabbed her hands, pulling her up.

\- "Shall we go, Lady Yuna?" He said, all formal.

\- "We shall, Mr. Guardian", she replied, just as courtly.

Thanks to his Peaceful Shield, they were able to avoid any fiends. Tidus was relieved, somehow, to see that Mi'hen Road hadn't changed that much. There were just much less fiends, but it was the same. Walking side by side, below the stars, Tidus felt like they really were going somewhere, together. And he didn't just mean to the Bliztball game.

He let his hands, that had been crossed behind his head until then, fall back to his sides. And then, slowly, carefully, he took her hand into one of his. She jumped a bit, surprised by the sudden contact with his warm hand, hers had turned cold again. But then she smiled for herself, and squeezed her hand gently in his. They weren't talking, but it was alright. They didn't need to, for their connection to grow. It was there, passing from his hand to hers.


	5. Chapter 4 - Let's Blitz!

Hey guys!

Just wanted to take a minute to thank fanficlove2014. I was starting to feel like this story wasn't getting a lot of feedback, and so maybe you guys didn't really like it, but I truly appreciate the time you took to let me know what you thought of it so far :)

If anyone else feels like it—as long as it's constructive criticism and not "hey your story sucks bye"—please do let me know what you think!

So here's chapter 4! I have a few more already written, but I haven't gotten the chance to write anything new in a bit. I really want to finish this though, so even though after like 4-5 chapters I stop updating for a bit, I promise you I'll come back to this once I'm threw with my finals and all the crappy school stuff I'm going to have to go through first.

Byeeee! :*

* * *

 **Chapter 4 – Let's Blitz!**

Back at the stadium, as they queued to get the tickets—Yuna still wanted to wait behind everyone else, much to Tidus' disapproval, they were going to miss the game!—they heard familiar voices—man, were they popular in Spira.

\- "Hey look", Tidus said, "it's the Besaid Aurochs."

They looked at them, and approached, surprised to see them here.

\- "Tidus! Lady Yuna! That's such a cool surprise to see you here!" Jassu started, shaking Tidus' hand.

\- "Same here, bro!"

\- "Came to see us play, did ya?" Datto asked.

\- "We did, actually!"

The team looked at one another, as if a silent message was going between them.

\- "Say, we actually are short of one player tonight, Letty had a family obligation. We were going to ask one of the best recruits back at the bliztball club, but… Would you care to join us? The game starts in ten minutes, though."

Tidus couldn't believe it. He wanted to say yes right away, but he hadn't really played in a while, let along in a real game, with a real crowd. He scratched his head, hesitating.

\- "You should go, Tidus!" Yuna nodded, a reassuring smile on her lips. "I am sure you'll do so great! And I'll cheer for you, just like I promised you."

She was referring to that time they had talked about her coming to see a game of his, with the Zanarkand Abes. He smiled, his confidence back, where it belonged.

\- "Count me in!" He said with his signature "V" shaped gesture.

* * *

They all were in the locker, chatting, talking about what had been going on in their lives lately. Datto had gotten himself a girlfriend, and the others were teasing him, hard, but in a caring, loving way. Keepa, on the other hand, was a bit bummed to be still single, "at his age" he said. But he shook it off, saying the lucky girl hadn't had the pleasure of crossing his road yet. Tidus laughed, happy to be with his friends again.

\- "You and Yuna seem to be getting along way better than last time", Botta said.

\- "Yeah!" He grinned back, scratching his head. "We've really been reconnecting lately."

\- "I'm glad for you guys," said Jassu, slapping his back.

"The Besaid Aurochs and the Luca Goers are needed at the stadium. The Game is going to start" A voice resonated.

\- "Not those jerks!" Tidus whined.

\- "Let's show them what we got. What are we playing for?" Jassu said, winking at Tidus.

\- "Victory!" They all yelled, bringing their hands together.

Tidus swore a tear grew in his left eye. They were still using his motto! As they all were leaving the locker, someone knocked on the door. It was Yuna.

\- "Hey, just wanted to wish you good luck, again." She said, timid.

He smiled, and she got to the tip of her toes, and planted a small kiss on his cheek.

\- "So... Good luck", she said. And then she was gone, leaving him a bit stunned.

Botta and Jassu, not too far away, looked at him and laughed.

\- "Hey man, get your head in the game, ya?" Jassu laughed, in his best Wakka voice.

Tidus laughed at himself and shook his head. It was showtime!

* * *

The Luca goers were wining them 2 goals to 1, and they had little time left. But Tidus still was confident they would make it. 3 minutes was plenty enough for two more goals. He was all fired up, tackling and passing up the ball, so active in that game he had missed so much.

Datto passed him the ball, he passed it to Botta, and then back to Jassu. But they lost the ball to another enemy player Tidus couldn't remember the name of. Datto was in a perfect position to mark a goal, so he tackled the guy, got the ball and threw it at Datto. Goaaaaaaal.

There they were. 2-2, and only 1 minute 30 left. The enemy had the ball, but Tidus wasn't having it. They were going to win. He was going to mark that last goal before the game would be over. They fought to get back the ball, but the Luca Goers were very good. Only, the Besaid Aurochs were better, Tidus knew that.

And then came his moment. Jassu threw him the ball he had finally managed to snatch out of the enemy's grasp. Tidus was close enough to the enemy's goal, but two people were blocking him the way. He didn't worry, though. He could take them, and still mark the victory goal. But he decided he wanted to make his moment even more special, to show off in front of Yuna. He was going to Jecht Shot the shit out of them all.

He took a long run-up, and jumped. He first eliminated the two players by throwing the ball at them, stunning them for a bit, he only needed a few seconds. The ball came back within his grasp, like a boomerang, and he threw it in the air, so high it left the water sphere. He followed, pressing his foot against the back of the stadium to give himself a bigger push. And then, in front of everyone's wide eyes and loud cheers, he did a perfect back flip, flying on top of the water, outside of the stadium. His head was down, his feet up. And he saw, during some fleeting second, the world upside down. It was weirdly reminding him of something, a long time ago. Except this time, fortunately, no Sin was planning to attack.

\- "This one's for you, Yuna!" Was all he managed to yell before falling back into the stadium with the ball.

As he completed his circle, he gave the ball a perfectly oriented kick, and it flew inside of the goal, just as the clock showed 5 minutes. The crowd went crazy, everyone on their feet, screaming and chanting his name. The game was over, and they had won.

* * *

\- "Tidus!" Jassu said as they left the stadium, hugging him. "You did so well man! Thanks for being there."

\- "Hey, you weren't so bad yourself! Thanks for asking me, I had a blast!"

\- "We have to go celebrate!" Screamed out Keepa, the goalkeeper. "I know of a great place around here. Find Yuna and meet us back there, ok? Here's the address."

\- "Right on!" Tidus replied.

* * *

Linna was there, at the bar, and talking to Tidus. He didn't really seem to be into the conversation, though, and was scanning the crowd, hoping to see a glimpse of Yuna. They had gotten separated a while ago, when she had gone to the lady's room. They could spend a few moments apart, Tidus knew that, but he couldn't wait to share his victory with her. The Besaid Aurochs were doing shots at a table close by, and he excused himself from Linna to join them. That's when she saw her, sitting at the bar. She was talking with a bunch of people, and a guy in particular seemed to enjoy—a bit too much, if you asked Tidus—her company. It was not big deal. But as he got to the Aurochs' table, he heard her say:

\- "No, I guess I'm free as a bird! Nothing special is going on in my life now."

He did not want to take it personally, but how could he not? He decided two could play this game. All he had to do was to stand for a few seconds, anyway, before some groupies came to him, asking for an autograph on their bliztball balls. They all claimed to remember him from back when Sin was still around. Tidus knew they didn't when one called him Tudis, and didn't seem to notice her mistake.

After, a while spent chatting with those women, he turned back, hoping to see Yuna. But she was gone, and so was that guy. Oh no she didn't. He tried to find her, but she was nowhere to be found. Not inside the bar, anyway. He walked outside, growing worrier. Yes, Yuna was a strong woman and could take care of herself, but he remembered clearly back when the Al-Bhed had kidnapped her, in Luca, as they were on Yuna's pilgrimage. And he wasn't going to let that happen twice.

And there she was, talking with that guy.

\- "Yuna! I have been worrying sick! You could have warned me." He said, a little harsh.

\- "Who's that? Your babysitter?" the guy said, mocking him. He looked at him, from top to bottom, in a despising way Tidus did not like one bit. But he chose to ignore the guy, and focused on Yuna, which he was a little mad at.

\- "No, he's my... Friend", she replied, and suddenly, this appellation bothered him.

\- "Friend, huh?" Tidus said, bummed out. "Ok. Well your _friend_ is going to go to sleep, ok? Keepa has offered us to stay at his place. You can stay here if you want, I'll meet you at the front desk of the stadium tomorrow."

And he started to turn away. If she wanted to stay, fine. She could stay. She didn't belong to him, anyway.

\- "No, wait, I'm coming with you!" She yelled after him. "Bye Ashrakk, it was very nice to meet you."

\- "Right back at ya, Milady Yuna", he said in what Tidus thought was aspiring to be a "seductor's voice" and he winked at her. "I hope to see you around very soon."

Yuna nodded and waved at the guy. Tidus felt like he could vomit. But he just rolled his eyes and said nothing.

* * *

\- "I have my question", Yuna stated in a sing-song voice, but Tidus didn't feel in the mood to talk.

\- "What?" He snapped, a little harsher than he wanted to. He cleared his throat. She hadn't done anything wrong, really.

Yuna didn't seem to mind, or at least, she acted as if nothing was wrong.

\- "Were you jealous, too, just then?" She had her head tilted in his way, her hands crossed behind her back and the upper part of her body a bit bended.

Tidus sighed, annoyed. Should he be honest? He had just blamed her before for her lack of honesty towards her feelings. He couldn't do the same now.

\- "Well, yeah, a little." He said, looking at her. "I mean you practically spent the whole night with that guy!"

\- "I know, I am sorry. I wanted to be with you, too. But he told me he knew Braska, my dad, back in the day." She said, looking a bit sorry. "He told me so many stories tonight, and it was nice to have some knew pieces of him, you know?"

Tidus believed her, as he could relate with that. But that didn't explain her hurtful statement.

\- "Why did you say you were "free as a bird" then?"

\- "Where you spying on us?" She said, though she didn't really seem angry about it. "Well I am. Traveling with you, I feel free as a bird." She smiled, her gaze telling him he really had nothing to worry about. You look cute when you are jealous, she added in a little laugh.

Yeah, but she had said there was "nothing special was going on in her life now". But he sighed, and chose to ignore that part. After all, if you compare what was going on with her now with her pilgrimage and hunting sphere adventures, this really wasn't anything special. And he knew she felt something for him, so he decided to let it go.

And then, she left, and caught up with the team walking a bit further, leaving him reflecting on what she had just said. He shook his head, laughing a bit for himself, and caught up with all of them. She really was a piece of work, that girl was.

* * *

On the next day, Yuna had agreed to participate in an interview Shelinda was throwing. He still couldn't believe that the woman, who used to be such a strong-driven priest, had decided to radically change career, and was now working in TV.

While Yuna was out being interviewed, Shelinda had let Tidus into the studio. She said he could video chat with Wakka and Lulu, if he wanted. He did want to know how their friends were doing, so he accepted. This was so weird, being able to see them and talk to them, even though they were pretty far away, on Besaid Island.

He pressed the button, and suddenly, Lulu's face appeared. Tidus looked at her, touched the screen, still unsure how this worked.

\- "Hello. So, how is it going?" She said, her voice coming out of speakers behind Tidus. He looked at them, confused.

\- "I'm good, thanks. How are you?" He replied, still looking at the celling. Those small machinas looked more complicated than the microphones he used to see in his Zanarkand.

\- "I meant how is it going with Yuna..." She sighted, her hand in her face as she shook it.

\- "Oh! Right. It's good, it's good. It's better," he added, smiling a little at her.

\- "I'm glad", she nodded. "I hope you kids are using protection."

\- "Luluuuuuuuuu!" Tidus screamed, outraged. He did _not_ want to discuss _this_ with _her_.

\- "I meant using shields and armor, your dirty minded man."

\- "Oh". He said, feeling dumb, but reassured.

\- "…Or did I?" She said, as she winked one red eye, the one her black hair didn't hide. She let out a little laugh as she saw Tidus' confused face. That kid was so much fun to tease. And before he could say anything, she had left, and Wakka took her place.

\- "Control your woman, Wakks!" Tidus said, still chocked at Lulu's outburst.

\- "Hey hey! Keep your voice down, ya? I swear she'll curse you all the way from Besaid. Besides, she's been acting real crazy lately."

When didn't she? Tidus thought. But he decided to keep that comment for himself. What if she did curse him?

\- "So how are things, man?" Tidus asked his best bud.

\- "Good, it's very good, ya? You know what? We might get Chocobos around here soon! All of Spira seems to think it's a really fun and practical way of going places. And with Clasko's Chocobos breeding farm going so well, he said he'd consider sending us two of his best beasts soon enough."

\- "How cool! Chocobo riding is super fun!"

\- "Yeah!" Wakka looked at his left, and furrowed his brows. "Bud, I'm sorry but I got to go! Give a big kiss to Yuna from us both, ya? You both enjoy your journey. We'll send you a letter soon."

\- "Alright Wakks, good luck with all your work!"

The communication got cut, and Tidus got out of the room, looking for Yuna's interview.

* * *

Shelinda was sitting in a small white chair, next to where Yuna sat, a few papers in her hands.

\- "So, how has our favorite High summoner and ex-sphere huntress been doing lately?" Shelinda asked, a bright, genuine smile on her lips as she rose her nose from her papers and looked at Yuna.

\- "I am good! I am great, actually. I have been travelling again, with someone who's very dear to me. And it is really nice, seeing how Spira is slowly growing stronger and bigger, one little idea at the time."

Tidus had arrived just in time. It turned out they had just started the interview a few minutes ago. He stood next to the camera guy, listening to Yuna, his arms crossed.

\- "A special someone, huh? Could that be the blond-haired guy I saw earlier?" Shelinda said, when she perfectly knew who Tidus was.

Yuna blushed, and sighed. She couldn't escape talking about him on broad TV, she guessed. People were so curious about her things. She wasn't sure why she had accepted this interview anymore. Shelinda was her friend though, and she had told her she was on the verge of losing her job. Doing an interview about Yuna was really going to help out her carreer, and so Yuna had said yes. But right here, right now, she had to spill all her little secrets on live TV, when she wasn't usually a big sharer.

\- "Yes", she said, letting out a small nervous laugh. "He was my guardian, while I was on my pilgrimage. Along with my dear friends Wakka, and Lulu, assistant mayor and mayor of Besaid; my dear Friend Kimhari, leader of the Ronsos; my father's long lost guardian, Auron, that I miss very much; and my best friend and cousin Rikku, with whom I also hunted spheres, a short while ago."

She had decided to mention all her friends, first because she wanted to state, as she always did, that she hadn't been alone when defeating Sin, but also because this way, she was hoping to avoid the "Tidus" talk. But boy was she wrong. Shelinda wanted to talk about Tidus, and of Tidus they were going to talk about.

\- "Yes, of course we've all learned to know and love all your wonderful team of legendary guardians. I had the chance of meeting all you guys a few times, as you were travelling. And Lady Yuna, I remember you giving me guidance, it really helped me back then. Thank you again for that."

\- "You are very welcome," Yuna stated.

\- "But back to this mysterious guardian! If I understood correctly, he disappeared after your combat against Sin, right? And know he is back. So what happened to him?"

\- "Well…" Yuna started, deep in thought. She didn't know what she could reveal, and it was a complicated story, that many could misinterpret. What if people began thinking that she could bring back their dead loved ones to life? That would cause a riot in Spira, to say the least.

Tidus was worried as well. What was she going to say? He could see she was lost, and they were directly broadcasting, if he recalled correctly. So he stepped in the range of shot, and sat next to the two girls.

\- "Errm…Hey! Hope it's ok I'm interrupting."

Shelinda nodded, though a bit confused as to what he was doing here. He was there now, anyway, so she might as well run with it.

\- "So hi… Guys," he said, looking and waving at the camera, unsure. "I'm Tidus. So yeah, I kinda had decided to lay low for a bit. I guess after all that went down with Sin, I needed my space, and my good friends respected that. But now I'm back! We were a bit bored in Besaid, so we decided to go travel for a bit, Yuna and I."

\- "When he said we were bored", Yuna quickly added, correcting him. "He is kidding, really. As a counselor, I figured I could come to people wanting to meet with me, rather than waiting for them to come to me. This way, I could also travel, and see how special Spira is, again."

Shelinda nodded to the both of them, grabbing another piece of paper. Then she looked at them, screwing her eyes.

\- "I see, I see. So, now let's address the shoopuf in the room, shall we? What is going on with you two?" She said, her eyes darting from Tidus', to Yuna's.

The crucial question had finally been asked. Tidus looked at Yuna, who looked back at him, and they smiled, equally embarrassed, unsure of what to say.

\- "Well", Tidus started, scratching his blond haired head, still looking at Yuna, a lost look in his eyes. "We are close, you know? We've always been. But we are just good friends, for now. Two good friends travelling together!"

He had been honest, but his mistake was adding the "for now". Shelinda clearly didn't miss it:

\- ""For now", huh? I see, so that's like, a travelling date or something?"

\- "I mean", Yuna began, but she didn't know what to say after that. "We don't… We don't really see it that way. He is also there as my guardian... And you know, he really is like my brother." She finally added, panicking.

 _Aouch_. Tidus kind of figured she was just saying that, so the questions would stop, but still, that statement hurt. Did a part of her saw Tidus as her brother? He certainly hoped not. As an only child, he didn't really know what having a sister was like, but he sure knew he wouldn't have had those kinds of feelings towards a sibling. Was that why she hadn't let him kiss her?

\- "Oh! I see." Shelinda said, looking a bit disappointed. "Well, you sure look cute together, anyway. But hey! That's a good news for all of Spira, right? Lady Yuna is still single and ready to mingle!"

Yuna and Tidus shared a long, knowing and relieved look. One that did not seem like a sister looking at his brother.

\- "So what about you Tidus, I heard you played blitzball in yesterday's tournament. You had also played, about two years ago, is that correct?"

\- "It is, yeah! I had missed it, it felt good to be back with the rest of the Besaid Aurochs team!"

\- "And you dedicated your last minute goal to Yuna! Wow, you must be touched, am I right?"

\- "I was, very much so", she said, smiling at Tidus. "We had often talked about how I should come to a game of his, and cheer for him."

\- "I see, I see. Well folks, thank you very much for joining us today! We are going to take a ten-minute break, and we will be right back with the rest of the Blitzball Tournament's scores. Stay tuned, Spirians!" She added, for the camera.

As soon as the broadcasting was cut, Shelinda looked at Yuna, embarrassed:

\- "I am sorry, Lady Yuna, when my producers found out I was interviewing you, they forced me to ask those questions. I hope it wasn't too embarrassing for you."

\- "No, don't worry Shelinda, it was alright. I am glad we could be of help."

\- "Thank you so much, she said, and the ex-priestess bowed to her."

Tidus sighed, still a bit bummed by Yuna's statement. He smiled at Shelinda as they left, and wished her good luck with her career.

* * *

 **Back to Mi'hen Road**

As it was the third time they were crossing this road, they didn't linger in too much. At Rin's Inn though, they stopped for a bit to have lunch and chat with the Al-Bhed in charge of the counter. Tidus's knowledge of the language was a bit rusty, but as he talked, it was slowly coming back to him. Yuna, as half Al-Bhed, on her mother side, had always loved the language, and although she hadn't spoken in quite some time, she managed alright. The pink haired girl was the daughter of a dear friend of Rin's, that's how she got the job, she confessed. She liked working here, although not a lot of people were stopping by, and she felt a bit bored.

When she offered them to try roasted Chocobo, Tidus thought Yuna was going to have a heart attack. But, when she realized it was just a joke, she relaxed, fake-lecturing the girl.

Speaking of the cute, fun, ostrich-chick birds, the young girl, Yahmina, asked them if they were interested in renting some. She would cut the prices off, for them. Yuna looked at Tidus, stars in her eyes, so excited in that moment she seemed to have lost a few years:

\- "Can we?" She asked, as if it was up to him.

\- "Of course!" He grinned. He had always loved Chocobo-riding.

They spend almost all afternoon, running around, each on one Chocobo's back. Tidus' bird wasn't tamed well, or so he used as an excuse, Yuna teased. It kept going left or right, following a butterfly or happily squeaking, running off of the road to eat some grass. Yuna, her hands in the reins of her Chocobo, perfectly in control of the bird, would just stand there, looking and laughing at him. Hadn't he spent a long time on a Chocobo, in the Calm Lands, before?

When after a while, he finally seemed to have gain some kind of control over the big yellow bird, they decided to have a little race off. It was Tidus' idea, of course, as he wanted to show Yuna how well he rode Chocobos. The Al-Bhed girl gave them the starting signal and off they went, both trying their best to win.

While Tidus was doing better on his Chocobo, Yuna was having trouble handling the "pressure" of the race. Tidus quickly caught up with her, winked at her in a show-offy way, and ran away on the bird, overtaking her. Yuna furrowed her brows. She wasn't going to lose, especially not after he had done _that._

"Ya!" She yelled at her Chocobo, and gave it a small kick so it would speed up. The road was almost over, and Tidus still had a short advance on her. She could do it, she told herself. They had agreed beforehand that the first one crossing that healing sphere, next to the stairs, was the winner. And he was close now. But so was she, and in one last desperate movement, she made her Chocobo jump and his left foot made a print in the sand, barely one finger farther than Tidus' print. She had won.

\- Wooooh! She yelled, screaming victory, both her hands above her head. The Chocobo victoriously squeaked, echoing her. You lost! You are a looser! She teased, laughing at his sad puppy face, pointing an accusing finger at his face.

He stood there, and said nothing, as she kept going, her Chocobo slowly trotting closer to his. And as she was right next to him, still laughing, he swiftly grasped her pointed finger, lacing his fingers with hers, and with his other hand, he grabbed the back of her neck, crushing his lips on hers, hard. He lingered for a few seconds, as her eyes were open wide, his upper lip smoothly brushing hers, and then he moved back a bit, and whispered against her lips:

\- "Here's your prize, champ."

And he turned away on his Chocobo, feeling pretty proud of himself.

\- "Hey Yuna! Double or quits, what do you say?" He yelled as he ran off, not even waiting for her reply.

She just stayed there, completely stunned, her cheeks burning, her breath heavy. Her hand was still hanging in the air, where Tidus' fingers had been seconds ago, and she seemed to look into some other dimension, her wide eyed gaze empty. What was it he had said, just then? She hadn't quite caught that.


	6. Chapter 5 - Reconnecting with the past

Hey hey!

So again, wanted to thanks my reviewers with all my little heart (it truly makes my day): to answer your question fanclove2014, I don't use "-" instead of "" for any particular reason, really. It's just how I'm used to show dialogue I guess :p. And thank you so much Guest, whoever you are, because that's exactly what I was aiming for and I'm so glad it showed! I just think it gets boring if all is perfect with "sunshine and rainbows", as you put it, from the very beginning. For the mere reason that it's not realistic. People fight, disagree, and things can get a little ugly sometimes, even when the two people involved are perfect for each other. At the end of the day you just have to decide who is worth fighting with. Anyway, anyway, look at me, I'm getting all philosophical here haha.

See ya soon, hope you'll enjoy! ;)

* * *

 **Chapter 5 – Reconnecting with the past**

Phew, that was one smooth move, Tidus congratulated himself. He was waiting for Yuna, still on the Chocobo, and couldn't quite believe he had just done that. He bet no part of hers could see him as her brother now.

Since she wasn't coming, he thought he would wait for her inside the Inn, the afternoon was coming to an end. Plus, Rin had just gotten back, and he insisted that they stayed at his Inn tonight, on the house. That was very surprising of Rin, who would usually always make them pay for anything, so Tidus thought they should really take him up on his offer. He and Rin started chatting in Al-Bhed. He really liked that guy. He was always so calm and positive about things, and super friendly, too.

After a while, Yuna pushed the door open, and joined them. She distractively said hi to Rin, and sat next to them, never looking at Tidus. He looked at her, amused but also worried. Had it been a good idea to catch her off guard and kiss her back there? Was she mad at him for that?

As they ate dinner, all three of them, Yuna slowly came back to normal again. She even glanced at Tidus, although she still seemed embarrassed, and they chatted in Al-Bhed, talking about many things and nothing.

* * *

A small, timid knock resonated against the wooden door. Tidus rolled on his bed, unsure if he had heard right. He waited, and the knock stared again. He got up, curious, and opened the door.

Yuna was in the corridor, about to walk away. When she heard the door open, she stopped and looked up at him with big, wide eyes.

\- "Hey. I'm sorry. Am I waking you?" She said, so low he had to guess more than hear what she was saying.

\- "No, no you're alright. What's wrong?" He asked, scratching is eyes.

\- "May I come in? I can't sleep."

He was surprised by her visit, but a very good kind of surprised. He opened his door wider to let her pass. She suddenly felt so out of place, she didn't know what to do or where to stand. She was just standing there, in the middle of his room, her back turned to him. He looked at her, amused, and went back to crash on is bed, unceremoniously. He was laying against the wall, his head resting on his bended arm. She looked at him, still standing, and smiled a bit nervously. With his free hand, he gently tapped the side of her bed, gesturing her to come sit. She did, but she was on the edge of the bed, showing him her back again.

\- "Come here", he said, carefully touching her back.

She tensed at the touch, but then relaxed, and finally lied next to him, over the blankets.

\- "We didn't ask each other questions today", Yuna said, looking at the celling.

It was true, they hadn't, he realized. He moved his head a bit, thinking. What could he ask her? He rolled over on one side, his elbow on a pillow, his head cupped in the palm of his hand.

\- "Hmm…" He began out loud.

She mirrored his gesture, and they both looked at each other, face to face. He narrowed his eyes at her, trying to figure her out.

\- "How do you feel?" He asked simply.

\- "Right now, or in general?"

\- "Right now."

She moistened her lips as she thought about it.

\- "Good. A little nervous. But mostly good", she concluded.

\- "Do I make you feel nervous?" He asked, a proud smile creeping on his lips.

\- "Hey that's two questions!" She hid her face in her free hand, embarrassed.

Tidus laughed, and took her hand in his, away from her face. She was slightly blushing, biting her lips.

\- "You make me feel a little nervous, too", he admitted in a whisper, still smiling.

She smiled, her left hand buried in her soft brown hair, grabbing some locks of it. She looked down, her gaze fixating some spot on the sheets between them. He waited for her to speak, feeling like they had all the time in the world. He was alright just looking at her, anyway.

\- "I'm really glad we are doing this, you know? We never really got the time to get to know one another. There are so many things I still don't know about you."

Tidus nodded. He suddenly got an idea.

\- "Hey, tell you what. For tonight, you can ask me anything, no questions limit. Shoot, what do you want to know about me?"

\- "I don't know… What do you miss the most about Zanarkand?"

\- "Hhmm..." He said, looking at the celling to help him find his answer. "I'm not sure anymore."

Yuna smiled, and Tidus' hand left hers to go smoothly up and down her back.

\- "Spira is a bit my world now, you know. There's nowhere I'd rather be."

\- "I'm glad." She said.

He smiled at her and moved just a little closer to her face. He waited, looking deep in her beautiful two-colored eyes. She closed the distance between them and kissed his lips lightly. She breathed out, trying to calm her heart. He moved a lock of her behind her ear.

\- "What is your happiest memory?" He asked, caressing her nose with his, eyes closed.

\- "Hmm. That's a tough one." She replied, her voice shaking a bit from his contact and she tried to ignore it. "I think it probably was when I was quite little. My mother had just made peace with my uncle, Cid, and we were all invited, including my father, to spend the day with them, at Home. It was my first time meeting him, as well as Rikku and Brother. I remember we did this amazing banquet, and I played with Rikku. She was trying to teach me Al-Bhed, and I English. Everybody seemed to get along, and it was like we all forgot about our differences, and about Sin, for a while."

She smiled, nostalgic at the memory. He caressed her cheek with the back of his hand, letting his hand fall to rest on her neck, and he brought her closer, kissing her a bit longer this time, as if to wash her nostalgia away.

\- "What is yours?" She asked finally.

\- "When I won my very first Blitzball match, I think. I was about 8. My mom had come to cheer for me. My old man hadn't, of course, he had "more important things to do than to go see a bunch of kids playing ball and calling it Blitzball"". He said in a big voice, impersonating Jecht. "And I felt really good and proud about it. After that, my mom took me out for ice cream, and we spent all afternoon talking and laughing."

\- "You never thought of going full time to Luca to play with the Besaid Aurochs?"

\- "No, actually I have, but... I don't know if I want to do just that anymore, you know? Back in Zanarkand, it was enough, but it was because I didn't know anything else. I think I'd like to do it part time, or something like that."

\- "And what else would you like to do, then?"

\- "Change things". He said simply, the answer coming to him instantly. "Improve them. Help in some way, or something."

She smiled, feeling proud of his answer for some reason. He really was a good man.

\- "You could help me, if you want. I'm sure you'd do a great counselor. You've already given me great guidance."

Tidus scratched his nose, embarrassed. That Yuna would think he would be good enough to help people of Spira meant a lot. The idea was kind of growing on him.

\- "Yeah... Yeah I think I'd like that."

\- "Great, it is settled then." She concluded, nodding her head once, as if to seal it off. "You can come with me to my next meeting, it's in Mushroom road, with Nooj and Lucil."

Tidus nodded. He wasn't sure he'd be great there, but he wanted to give it a shot. She didn't talk about it a lot. What it was like, what she would do exactly. He was suddenly curious about it.

\- "Do you like it, being a counselor?"

\- "I mostly do. No, I mean I do, really. It's just that… Sometimes it is a lot of pressure, you know? Your advice may change what someone important had planned, and then what if it was bad advice? It's a lot of responsibilities."

She paused, thinking about it some more.

\- "But I like it", she concluded. "I love feeling like I am helping people. Now that Sin is gone, we are a little lost, I guess. We are not used to all that free time to improve our world, to live freely in it. We'd been hiding and fearing him for 1000 years. Sin was a huge part of Spira. So it is a little like, "what are we now, without him?", you know?"

Tidus nodded slowly. He understood exactly what she meant. The people in Spira had to redefine themselves, and they had no model to do so.

\- "But that's the best kind of lost. A kind where we can do anything."

\- "Yeah, that's exactly right." She smiled.

* * *

She awoke before him. The first thing she saw as she opened her eyes was his torso. One of his arm was laying across her back, squeezing her close to him, while her head was resting on the other, buried in his neck. They were under the blankets, their legs meddling. Yuna sighted. She felt good there, in his arms, and felt like she could just stay there all day. But it felt a bit late, since they had talked almost all night long, and she couldn't even remember falling asleep. They would have to get going soon. She had told Nooj she would be meeting with him in a few days, back in Besaid, and it had been 5 days already. And yet, it felt like so much more time had passed, they had done so much. So much had happened.

She carefully moved her head back a bit, and watched him sleep. He seemed so peaceful, the ghost of a smile playing on his lips. She smiled for herself, and planted a small kiss on his cheek. It didn't wake him up.

She decided she had to move. It seemed like a really tough decision to make, but she grabbed his arm, slowly, and moved it away from her waist. Then she started, just as carefully, to move the blanket away from her body, as she moved back, until she got out of bed. She kept glancing at him, making sure she hadn't woken him up. And finally, she got out of the room. She let out a sigh of relief, and went back to her room.

Yuna felt like a little girl, all giddy and happy. She wanted to jump in her room, to scream and to run. She really, really liked him. She always had.

* * *

A few hours later, Tidus woke up, a little annoyed to see that Yuna had left. He shrugged, and rolled over on the bed. A few minutes went by, and he realized he had to get up, as they were probably late on their schedule. He groaned, sat up, scratched his head and painfully got out of bed.

Yuna was there, sitting at a table, eating her breakfast. She was chatting with Rin. As they noticed his presence, they both turned to smile at him. Tidus' first reflex was to come kiss Yuna on the head, but something in her expression stopped him. Rin was there, he thought, and she probably didn't want any public display of affection. He scratched his head, and sat across her at the table.

\- "Hello Tidus, how did you sleep?" Asked Rin, in his Al-Bhed accent. They were sometimes talking in English, sometimes in Al-Bhed, it was getting confusing.

\- "Good good. Not enough though", he said, and he quickly glanced at Yuna, who gave him a knowing smile, slightly blushing.

Rin pretended not to notice anything, and he got up, asking Tidus if he wanted some Al-Bhed Potion in his infusion, to give him some energy.

Since their timing wasn't perfect, Rin had offered them to drop them off at Mi'ihen's gate, right before Mushroom rock. So they packed their things and met with him outside.

\- "You got a Hover! Right on Rin!" Tidus exclaimed.

Rin affectuously patted on the thing. It was quite big, and resembled some sort of airboat. The lower part consisted of a green and light yellow car body, placed on big skis to allow it to slide. On top of it rested a huge red fan, as the machina was wind-powered, with a small cabin designed for the driver.

\- "How fun!" Yuna agreed.

They jumped on the back side, eager to go. Rin told them he was a great pilot.

And if by that, he had meant "a fast, reckless one", Tidus and Yuna certainly would have agreed. He was driving so fast they barely had time to look at the landscape. Tidus was looking away from Yuna, as he didn't want her to realize how scared he was. Although his knuckles, which had turned white from his tight grip on his seat, could probably tip her off somewhat. She let her hand rest on his, silently reassuring him.

The wind was blowing in their faces, hard, and they had no way to cover from it. It seemed to be drying out all the water in their eyes, burning their cheeks, and they had to blink several times a second. At some point, a little kid and his parents were crossing on the bridge, and Yuna swore Rin had been this close to knocking all three of them out. Thankfully, she had yelled "look out!" soon enough for them to budge.

The worst parts were when they had to turn. Rin wouldn't handle the curves very well, since they were driving too fast, and both thought the Hover was going to fall on the side—problem was, where they were, the side meant falling off a cliff. Yuna squeezed his hand, and they both looked at each other, worried for their lives.

Thankfully, soon enough, they made it to the gates. Rin stopped as abruptly as he had started the Hover. Tidus didn't budge, shaking a bit. Adrenaline was coursing through his veins, and he felt so happy to be alive. After a few seconds, he finally began to relax. It was over now. It was all over. Yuna looked at him, smiling. She wanted to laugh, both because of the fear spasm stuck on his face, but also because she, too, felt so relieved to be alive right now she needed to blow off some steam.

\- "So", Rin began, smiling broadly at them, "how did you like the ride?"

It was all Tidus could do not to cry.

* * *

 **Fourth Stop: Mushroom Rock**

"We, the Youth League, to better our understanding of Spira's past, vow to remain vigilant in our search for ruins of spheres. And as of today, we vow to plan Spira's future, along with our friends from New Yevon, and from the Al-Bheds. We vow to respect our differences, and to rule in harmony, as proud representatives of our beloved world's diversity."

That's how they were greeted, at the doors of the Youth League Headquarters. A bunch of soldiers, their fists on their hearts, were proudly reciting their mantra. Yuna was happy to notice that it had evolved, as the second and third sentences had been added, resulting of Nooj, Baralai and Gippel's decision to unite their forces and rule together.

The place had completely changed from what Tidus remembered. They were still using that weird elevator that was there last time he came here, but now, a gigantic yellow and purple hut proudly stood in the middle of a huge camp. A few canon huts were disposed on their left and right sides, and, as they walked closer to the big hut, Tidus noticed two solemnly placed fire torches on either sides of their path. Flags of the Youth League were plastered everywhere, as if people here could forget where they were. They formed a big circle around the headquarters hut.

A long, dark yellow carpet lied there, and a bit further, from either sides of the main entrance to the hut, two other fire torches were planted. Tidus briefly wondered if they weren't scared the fire would burn off the hut, but kept his thought to himself, scared he could hurt the feelings of the proud soldier, Yaibal, that had insisted on accompanying "Lady Yuna and her friend" personally to the doors.

\- "Lady Yuna, as always, it is an honor." Lucil stated, bringing her fist to her heart, her elbow parallel to the ground.

She seemed very professional, as she always was, but when she looked at the face of Yuna's friend, her mouth opened in a big "o" and her mask of professionalism fell off. She wasn't sure what to say, and she looked at Yuna, and then back at Tidus.

\- "Hiya, Lucil! It's good to see you again", Tidus started, giving her time to win back some composure.

\- "As it is you", she replied, nodding, her professional skills reemerging. "I am commander Lucil, of the Youth League forces, now. She added, for Tidus' benefit. Please, this way, Nooj is waiting for you."

\- "Where's Elma?" Tidus asked, as they were heading inside the hut.

\- "She is off on an important mission, but she should be back shortly."

Tidus thought to himself that it was the first time he saw Lucil without her second, Elma. But apart from that, the woman hadn't changed one bit.

\- "Nice to meet you. I am Nooj", a man with a long brown ponytail said as he shook Tidus' hand.

He recognized him from Yuna's sphere, but he was much more impressive in flesh and blood. The guy seemed even more damaged physically than Auron. He was wearing a red suit, with some kind of fur on his right shoulder. A huge metallic prosthesis was covering the entirety of his left leg, and he seemed to need the use of a stick to walk.

\- "Same. I'm Tidus, one of Yuna's ex guardian."

They were all standing in the biggest room of the hut. Carved onto the back "wall", Tidus read the sentence _"Knowledge of the past is the key to the future"_. A long table was disposed behind them, and the same pattern that Tidus had seen on the flags outside was printed on the tablecloth. Nooj gestured for them to sit.

\- "Yuna, as always, it is a pleasure to have you here. Would you like something to drink or eat?"

\- "I am fine for now, but thank you for offering. It is nice to see you, too."

They seemed pretty formal for people who had fought a big scary machina together. But then again, everyone in this place felt pretty formal-like. Tidus sat up straight on his chair, feeling the need to appear more professional in front of those people.

\- "So". Nooj began, grabbing some important papers. "Have you had the chance to give more thought to our adoption policy problem? We can barely afford to have that many orphan homes, and those kids should have a family."

\- "Yes, I have, actually. I studied your position, as well as Baralai's. I think you both had very valid points, and that's why you should, in my opinion, do something more in the middle. For example, what I thought was that we could select a few of the young couples looking to adopt, and try to familiarize with the kids for a short amount of time. This way, we can make sure they are right for the part, and also accelerate the process, since they would already have broken the ice with the kids."

Lucil was noisily pressing some circles on a small machina, somehow writing what Yuna was saying on the little thing. Nooj was rubbing his chin, thinking it over.

\- "It could be worth a try, indeed. I would submit this idea to Baralai and we will think about organizing this. Thank you."

\- "That's what I'm here for!"

Tidus didn't dare to say much, still. He couldn't understand why Baralai, and what was the name of the third one? Gippal? Why they weren't there to assist at the meeting, when they were supposed to be the three rulers of Spira.

\- "On other matters, just to name a few, we still haven't found good, durable solutions to: building more schools and hospitals, we are short-handed to build them, and our budget still do not allow it. Same with shelters and Youth Leagues posts. On a better note, our "Spira's Little Helpers" project, to resolve all those issues at their core is showing promise. It has had some great results among the population. We owe it to you Yuna, thank you again."

He paused, and looked at Tidus:

\- "Basically, we decided to send our trained troops all across Spira, to teach people everything they need to know in order to survive on their own: how to fight, to hunt, to make basic potions and medicine, to build themselves homes…"

\- "" _Teach a man how to fish and you feed him for a lifetime"_ , right?" Tidus said, looking at Yuna, impressed by her idea.

\- "Exactly right. Elma is right now coordinating two of the biggest missions, at Luca and Moonflow, and looks like it's going very well for the vast majority. Still, our priority remains to improve our way of contacting between each other—Gippal is still working on that, back at the Djose temple, and we can use the video chatting devise for emergencies, but it still doesn't have the expected results. This would allow us to accelerate our decision-making spawn, and improve everything."

\- "First off", Tidus started, unsure of what to say. "Shouldn't you meet all together for those kinds of things? I mean, I know you can send messages or whatever but, shouldn't you like, meet in person for now? I know it would probably take longer, but I think it would be way more efficient. Plus, if you travelled around Spira, maybe that could help you see exactly what people need, and find easier, faster solutions to smaller problems. Make a lot of small steps rather than few big ones?"

Some of his statement was invalid, since they did meet, all three of them, as frequently as they could. But Nooj quite liked his idea of travelling in Spira to discover the population's actual needs—he hadn't budge from his office since the Vegnagun affair—and thought it could be worth exploring. Yuna instantly offered that he'd join them, as they were currently travelling Spira, advising people.

Gippal and Nooj were stationed pretty close, but Baralai was located in Bevelle, within the temple. Yuna proposed that they'd meet there, all three of them.

Problem was: who would be in charge while Nooj would go? He instantly thought of Lucil, but as her second, he needed her with him at the meeting.

\- "Sir, if I may", started Lucil. "I think Elma would be great for the job. She has shown her capacities in the last few months and, with the help of Yaibal, we could leave our headquarters without fear."

\- "I will think about that. I will give you my answer by the end of the day, if that is alright with all of you. Thank you Lucil. Yuna. Tidus." He said, nodding in gratitude as he pronounced their names. You are free to go.

* * *

\- "This place still feels so sad."

Tidus, like a tightrope walker, was walking on a little elevated piece of land, right next to Mushroom rock's beach. Yuna, her back to him, was strolling on the sand, lost in thoughts.

This was where so many Crusaders had died during the infamous Operation Mi'ihen. Tidus jumped from where he stood, catching up with Yuna. The sky was clouded, as it often was around here, and it felt charged with a powerful, devastating energy about to be unleashed. The sea was rather calm, and yet it seemed so threatening, dark and unwelcoming. Yuna, her shoes in her hand, her feet buried in the sand, was walking along the shore, followed by Tidus. Not too far ahead, he noticed something they were heading towards. As they grew closer, he realized it was a gigantic stone, with something carved in it. Yuna sat in front of it, and started to pray. Tidus read:

" _Operation Mi'ihen – We remember_

 _To Value all life._

 _To Honor and preserve the memory of our fallen soldiers._

 _To Set apart this sacred place where people heal, hope and remember."_

Below was a list of names and ages Tidus preferred not to linger on. This was a memorial for the fallen. He sat next to Yuna, and closed his eyes, trying to pray. He wasn't sure what to do, so he opened one of his eyes, and tried to mimic whatever gesture Yuna was doing. It was the intention that matter anyway, right?

He remembered when he had awakened on that very spot, only to find all those people dead because of Sin. He remembered Gatta, traumatized by Luzzu's death. He remembered the treachery of Yu Yevon, yet another one, with Kinoc and Seymour allowing the operation to go on, while perfectly knowing it would fail, just so people would see how useless the machinas were and how they should respect the teachings instead. Gently staying within their control spawn.

He opened his eyes to see Yuna summoning flowers all around the stone, her staff in her hand.

Sure, they had to look towards Spira's future, but they had to be careful not to forget its past, too.

* * *

On the next day, everything was settled. Nooj and Lucil would be joining them until they reached Bevelle. Elma was left in charge. Upon hearing the news, she panicked somewhat, not feeling good enough for the job. Lucil reassured her, telling her she was almost her equal now. She had achieved countless complicated missions with success and on her own, and was perfectly capable of managing the headquarters. Plus, she would have Yaibal to assist her, and she could contact Lucil anytime, thanks to their linked watches.

\- "Gippal should be in Djose", Nooj said as he grabbed his cane and started walking away, leading the others.

* * *

 **Fifth Stop: Djose Temple**

As they entered the Djose temple, Tidus barely had the time to register some kind of yellow light coming into his field of sight, when already, someone was hugging him:

\- "It's youuuuu! You really are back! That's gooood. That's so good!" Rikku shouted, hugging her friend.

She stepped away and looked at Yuna, and then back at Tidus. She hadn't changed that much, he thought, except for her hair. She had this huge ponytail with some locks of braided hair falling over a blue headband, which was wrapped around her forehead.

\- "And oh! You look SO cute together!" She gasped, both her hands covering her mouth.

She was almost jumping in front of them, totally hyper. Yuna noticed she was back in her ex-outfit, with her orange top and her pair of green shorts. She remembered her complaining about how the other one was so uncomfortable, and she was always cold in it, especially as they were on missions at Mount Gagazet. This one suited her better, she thought. She looked well. Yuna hadn't seen her cousin in quite some time, she was glad that she was here now. Rikku hugged them both. Really, really tight.

\- "I am so happyhyhy for you guyyyys". She said, almost sobbing.

\- "Ufff", was all Yuna could manage to reply, tapping her best friend's back.

She glanced at Tidus, whom she could see a bit, across Rikku's proud blond mane. He smiled at her, amused, but also deeply touched by Rikku's reaction. She had always been like a sister to him. If you thought about it, she was like a girl version of him, in some ways.

\- "It's really good to see you too, Rikku." Tidus said, gently patting her back as well.

\- "What is this?" A man with spiked blond hair said mockingly from behind Rikku's back. "A family reunion?"

Rikku's outburst had resonated across all the temple, with her high pitched voice. The emotional reunion scene was hard to miss.

\- "Oh. But it's you, superstar!" Gippal exclaimed, looking at Yuna. "How you been?"

\- "Good", she said, as Rikku stepped away from them, still grinning.

\- "And… You are?" The man asked, looking over at Tidus.

He was pretty tall, and thin. A black eyepatch covered his right eye, making him look a bit older than he really was. He was mostly dressed in blue, with long sleeves, baggy, darker pants and big red boots. Two purple and blue shoulder pads hanged over his blue-grey sweatshirt, with two yellow strips crossing over his chest, maintaining his pants in place.

\- "He's Yunie's boyfriend!" Rikku proudly stated.

Tidus scratched his head, letting a little embarrassed laugh out. He didn't confirm nor deny it, and neither did Yuna. At that moment, Nooj and Lucil, who had had to stay a bit behind to finish organizing a few things, finally arrived, pushing the great doors open.

Saved by the Nooj, Tidus thought, relieved.

* * *

As Gippal explained, the Al-Bhed had temporarily taken over the Djose temple, as they waited to have the means to build themselves a new Home. It being the ex-Ixion Temple meant they had tons of electricity available, which was of great use for them to build their powerful machinas. And at the same time, they were still digging old machinas in Bikanel's desert, trying to make them work again and teaching people how to use them. That was mostly Rikku's job, now that Gippal was the chief of the Al-Bheds. They were having lunch in _Gippal's apartments_ , as he liked to call his small, untidy room.

\- "I had literally just arrived when you guys came!" Rikku said. "It's a super cool coincidence."

During the rest of the meal, they discussed their plan of travelling across Spira to find out more what the people wanted and needed, and just at what stage of their lives they were at. Nooj said they always had room for improvement, and the best way to know what they had to do was to see Spira's problems for themselves. Gippal agreed completely, but he had some "important stuffs" to resolve first, and could only go on the next morning. That would let them plenty of time to catch up, Rikku happily stated, dragging Yuna out of the table with her. She was thrilled to be going on an adventure again, she had been a little bored lately. No one had told her she could come yet, but she looked so happy they didn't dare say anything. And Yuna wanted her by her side, anyway.

* * *

\- "Tell me everything Yunie. I want every little details!"

Yuna laughed and shook her head, glad to see her cousin hadn't changed. They hadn't seen each other in so long, and though they send each other messages, it wasn't the same as being with her in person. They were walking along the Djose Road, killing of some fiends from time to time, no biggie. And so Yuna began telling her everything, how things had been rough between Tidus and her back in Besaid, his sudden proposal to go on some sort of pilgrimage of rediscovery—both of Spira and of themselves—what had happened between them, their kiss, their night spend talking...

\- "Everything is great between us now. We truly are reconnecting. I'm happy."

\- "I am so glad, Yunie. You so deserve it."

Now they sat at the cliff, their feet hanging in the air. Rikku's palms were on the ground, behind her back, her upper-body weight resting on them. She was lazily moving her legs, one after the other, and looking at the clouded sky, over the black sea.

\- "So what about you, Rikku? What has been going on with you?"

They had last seen each other at the top of the highest tower, called Yadonoki. Back then, she had so much going on, and Yuna hadn't started her job back yet. Rikku had been jealous of Yuna's peaceful rhythm, and they had fought a little. But quickly after that, they had made up, realizing they couldn't stay angry at each other for too long. They had briefly heard of Paine, too, but she felt distant, in her own things as usual. The girls knew Paine would reach out to them when she would need it, so they had agreed to let her have the space she needed.

\- "Well, things finally calmed down for me, after a while. I decided to stop saying yes to everything people asked me to do. I liked it, for a while, it was nice to try all kinds of new things. But it was exhausting too, and I wanted to find "my thing", you know?"

\- "And what is that?" Yuna asked, curious.

\- "Well…" Rikku scratched her head. "I'm still unsure. So I'm just helping my dad out, for now. He is still really important amongst the Al-Bheds, even though he has "passed the torch" to that guy Gippal, now."

\- "Right. Is something going on between you guys?" Yuna asked, teasingly poking her cousin's arm. "I remember him mentioning that you "made quite the couple" when I first met him."

Rikku was about to say something, when Yuna cut her off, a finger raised in her direction:

\- "And don't even try to deny it again. I saw the way he looked at you."

Rikku's face froze for a few seconds, her mouth open, and she sighed, feeling defeated.

\- "It's nothing, really… We just… Sorta-dated a while ago, for a really short among of time. It didn't mean anything."

\- "Really? Then why are you blushing?" Yuna laughed, tilting her head to one side.

\- "Yuniiiiie", Rikku whined, her hands covering her burning cheeks. "Can we please drop it?"

Rikku might seem outgoing and always happy at first sight, but truth was, she could sometimes be even more secretive than Paine, with her things. Even with her best friend.


	7. Chapter 6 - New travelling buddies

Hello hello!

I am finally freeee! It's such an amazing feeling I can't even begin to explain it. Anyway, here is the next chapter, and I am already working on the others. But first, just wanted to answer some of the reviews, as usual:

PersonaOfBetrayal: Well, I did ask for constructive criticism and that definitely was one. I will keep your comments in mind and fix the dialogs to make it less confusing! Regarding the use of commas, I guess it must be because I am French, and in French that's how we usually construct our sentences. And it's just how I write, I suppose. But I will definitely try to make it less snappy! Thanks for the review! :)

And to YunieCorn, mihosaki and fanclove2014, thanks so much for the reviews as well, I am really glad that you like it so far!

See ya! :*

* * *

 **Chapter 6 – New travelling buddies**

 **Sixth Stop: Djose road and Moonflow**

Their little troop was strolling across Spira, taking their time to enjoy it all, and to talk to random people. They had to take many breaks, since Nooj had an artificial leg and couldn't go on for very long. He would never complain about it, not even mention it, of course, but the others quickly realized that he would usually lag behind after a while spent walking. So they would randomly find excuses to stop and rest for a bit, like Rikku pretexting she had low HP—Which would usually result in Gippal teasing her about being pretty poorly trained, for a legendary guardian, and they would bicker for a bit—it was all they ever seemed to do. The point was, everyone wanted to respect Nooj's pride.

Everyone was pretty efficient in defeating fiends, and, one fight after the other, they quickly began to function like a well-oiled machine.

Gippal and Rikku, as thieves, were stealing all sorts of items on them, usually allowing them to save up some Gils on potions and phoenix downs. They could also mix them up to inflict a lot of damages, or instantly enhance and heal all the team, and many other diverse things only them two, as Al-Bheds, seemed to understand. They were also, along with Tidus, the quickest among the team, very useful with fast and flying beasts. Gippal was using a huge sword-gun—Rikku told him he was definitely overcompensating for something with that thing, to what Gippal proudly replied she perfectly knew how well equipped he was, and she blushed furiously, taken aback by his outspokenness. Thankfully, the others had the decency to act as if nothing had happened. Rikku had left her famous Godhand at home, replacing it with two spiky daggers, doing twice the damage she used to do.

Nooj's style resembled Auron's, although he wasn't as strong—probably a bit rusty. Pressing a button on his walking stick, it transformed into a deadly weapon. A big sharpened blade would emerge on the iron staff. It was a gift of his friend and co-worker Gippal.

Lucil knew a bit of dark magic, like how to drain enemy's HP, or how to blindfold them, and she was usually pretty fast. She was fighting with a thin, long sword, that seemed to be able to cut through anything—even a flan. It reminded Yuna of Yojimbo's katana, yet less powerful.

And, finally, Yuna could both heal her allies and kill her foes, aided by her powerful magic. Although she couldn't summon the Aons anymore, she was still a summoner, as it was her birth given gift, which meant her magic skills were enhanced, making her a very valuable asset in the team—but everybody already knew that, by now. Her adventures as a Gullwing member had also toughened her up, and she would sometimes hit the fiends with her staff, and inflict quite a lot of damage.

* * *

\- "So… You and Yuna, huh?" Gippal teased, moving his eyebrows up and down in Tidus' direction, a smartass smile playing on his lips.

\- "So… You and Rikku, huh?" He proudly counter-attacked.

They were walking behind everyone, Gippal and him, as they were reaching the end of Moonflow's forest. He found it weird, that he had never seen this guy before. Then again, they only ever had been at Home once, as it was getting destructed by the Guados. And the Al-Bhed were completely dispatched across Spira.

\- "Haha. Touché", he admitted, both his hands risen in defeat.

\- "Whatever happened between you guys anyway?" Tidus asked, suddenly curious.

\- "Well... I've always known Rikku, you know?" He started, giving a kick in a little stone he found on the ground. "She's Cid's little girl, and he used to be our leader. Everybody knows Rikku. But then I started to train as Cid's second when I was 16, about two years ago, after you guys destroyed Sin. And we travelled the world to fix and teach people about ancient machinas together."

Yuna had told him about Rikku and him, briefly, the night before. After everyone had gone to sleep, Tidus had silently gone out of his room to meet up with her. They had spent all night talking again, among other things. Everything felt great between them, but they still—and most of all, Yuna—didn't want to make it public. It was their "secret" for now. Everybody who knew Yuna a little bit, or who wasn't entirely dumb already knew something was going on between them. But that didn't mean they felt ready to speak it out just yet.

\- "And you got to spent more and more time together and fell in luuuv?" Tidus guessed, teasing.

\- "More or less, I guess." Gippal replied, scratching his head. "We weren't that serious or anything, but I liked spending time with her. Rikku's always good for a laugh. But yeah, her dad figured out we were a thing, and he wasn't pleased, for some reason."

Yeah, Tidus thought, that sure looked like Cid. He was a great guy, and Tidus had a lot of respect for him, but he could be so stubborn about random stuff sometimes. He had decided something, and things would be as he wished, or he would find a way to make them. It could be good, since, thanks to his iron will, he had succeeded in bringing most of the Al-Bhed back together for a while. But sometimes, like in this case, it could also be bad.

\- "He didn't want anyone touching his little girl, I guess." Gippal went on. "And the man is stubborn, but I think he would have let it go eventually. Hell, I can be stubborn too, you know? But Rikku decided it was better that way. She wanted to go and hunt spheres anyway, and I got stationed at the Djose temple, so it would have been complicated."

That didn't seem like Rikku, to give up on something because her dad had told her so. If the girl had inherited one thing from his dad, it was her stubbornness. She had been the one who, along with Tidus, had first decided to think of another way to defeat Sin, one that wouldn't mean Yuna had to die. The girl was driven, and Tidus couldn't imagine her letting anyone telling her what she could and couldn't do. Especially not her dad.

\- "But you know, he concluded, I'm completely over it now, so it's all fine." He said, glancing at her in a way that Tidus would not classify as an "over-her" kind of look.

Yuna and Rikku were far up ahead, already admiring Moonflow's lake. They were followed by Nooj and Lucil, silently walking side by side, and then here they were, Tidus and Gippal, walking at their own pace. They had instantly bonded, the afternoon before, as Gippal had explained to him how most of their important machinas worked. Tidus knew his bit about them, being born and raised in a machina city. It felt good to talk about it with someone who understood and valued them. Even though they weren't forbidden anymore, people still saw them as somewhat evil devices. It would take time, probably a few generations, they thought, before people would accept them entirely.

\- "What are you guys plotting, over there?" Rikku shouted in their direction, as if her sixth sense had tipped her off and she knew they were talking about her.

\- "Nothing!" They replied in unison.

They hurried to catch up with the others. Gippal's secret was safe with him. Well, except that he would probably tell Yuna. They had no secrets for each other anymore.

* * *

It was almost nightfall, and the sky was growing darker and cloudier, the moon still fighting to impose its shining white light, faintly spreading it in a small circle, far away. The lake seemed to go on forever, only stopped by dark, hazed mountains.

So many white and purple water lilies covered the surface of the water, swiftly moving on their round ship made out of leaves. And then, suddenly, a yellow-green shooting light came out of the calm waters and into the sky, fading after a few fleeting seconds of life. Others followed, lighting up the dark sky. The layer of mist seemed to deepen, slowly covering the lake, blurring out the horizon.

All of them stood there, admiring this beautiful, moving painting Spira seemed to have lied out for them. It had been a tiring day and they were all looking forward to stopping at an Inn to have diner and rest.

* * *

\- "Hm. I see. That does sound like Cid."

Yuna's chin was resting on her arms, both crossed on Tidus's bare chest. They were both under the blankets, in one of the Inn's room. They had decided they would take the Shoopuf—Yuna couldn't wait—on the next day, since they had spent all afternoon fighting fiends and needed their rest. Tidus and Gippal were really getting good pals, and the four of them, along with Yuna and Rikku were getting along great. Yuna had always been very fond of Lucil, too, but it was hard to get to know her, she never seemed to let down her guard, in combat nor in conversation. And Nooj was about the same, always so guarded and silent. He really reminded them of a younger Auron, very wise and secretive, never revealing anything unless he needed to.

\- "I know, right?"

He was laying on the bed, one hand under his head, the other lazily playing with Yuna's hair. It was getting tougher and tougher not displaying any PDA in front of the others. When Yuna had healed him, after a fight earlier, he had been so close to kiss her 'thank you'. Or back when they were walking, he had had to remember not to take her hand, or wrap his hand around her waist. It seemed more and more natural, touching her and hugging her, that sometimes he just did it without thinking. They hadn't talk about it, yet. But he could feel Yuna wouldn't like him doing any of that.

\- "Do you think we should play matchmakers?" Yuna said.

Tidus laughed, amused by her sudden idea. It sounded ridiculous, especially coming from her. She laughed as well, her cute creases below her eyes deepening. He kissed her forehead.

\- "I don't think they would like that. Either of them. They are way too proud."

\- "You're right." She replied, a little bummed out. Her cheek was getting smooched on her hand as she looked distractively at the wall.

\- "Have you seen how much they keep teasing and messing with each other? "

\- "Yeah I know!" She said, raising her head, excitingly agreeing. "There's so much sexual tension between them you could cut it with a knife!"

\- "Why Lady Yuna, such strong words coming out of such delicate mouth," Tidus said, surprised by Yuna's outburst.

She made a fake-offended face, her mouth open, and he kissed her smoothly, his hand delicately raising her chin to the perfect height. Her hands got lost in his blond locks as she deepened their kiss and closed her eyes, letting Tidus take her away. Gippal and Rikku weren't the only ones with a lot of sexual tension between them.

* * *

\- "Shtop himsh! Shtop the shiefsh!"

As they awoke very early on that next day, panic seemed to have spread on their little Inn. The team quickly gathered on the entrance, only to find the Hypellos completely beside themselves. Someone had come during the night and stolen all the Gils from the cash register. With one look at each other, all of them knew they'd have to help them find the thief. Their awakening had been so sudden and abrupt they looked haggard and a bit lost. Rikku's hair was a complete mess, Gippal couldn't stop yawning, Tidus had trouble keeping his eyes open and Yuna missed her warm bed terribly. Nooj and Lucil, on the other hand, seemed as usual, perfectly dressed, perfect hair and perfect complexion. Rikku decided she kinda hated them for that, this morning.

But, as professionals, they shook it off, had a quick breakfast, and, after a dose of Yuna's Curaga and of Tidus' Boostaga, they were ready to go. Nooj decided that they should split up. Gippal had just the thing: he gave each of them a small watch, all linked to each other. By pushing the little red button on them, it would send the exact localization of the holder to the others. Once someone had found the track of the thief—or thieves—they could alert the rest of the team and all meet up.

\- "If that guy was there during the night, he could be anywhere by now. Lucil and I will explore ahead, around Guadosalam."

\- "Good idea. Yuna and I are going back, towards Djose." Tidus said, his thumb pointed at his face.

Rikku looked at the four of them, and gave a quick, desperate glance at Gippal. She let her arms drop on either sides of her waist, the power of the movement dragging her upper-body down a bit.

\- "Oh maaaan… Are you guys really going to make me handle _this guy_ on my own?" She whined, pointing an accusing thumb toward the blond guy who stood behind her.

\- "Stop being so obvious Rikku, please. You _so_ want me, it's, like, getting embarrassing."

\- "What?!" She jumped, outraged, and turned to face him. "You need to stop dreaming Gippal, and step into reality, since, like, yesterday!"

Yuna, Tidus, Nooj and Lucil looked at each other, very much annoyed. The two of them never seemed to catch a break.

\- "Read my lips Rikks", he started, pointing at his face, bringing his face closer to hers. "You desperately want the G. It's time you assume it once and for all and stop lying to yourself."

\- "Yunie, could you please tell him that…" She started, but stopped mid-sentence, her arm in the air, as she realized that her cousin, along with their three other teammates, had already left.

Her left arm noisily fell from the shock, slapping her thigh. She let her head fall backward, looking at the skies, as if to wonder what she had done to deserve that they'd torture her so. Gippal just laughed and shrugged, passing his hand through his hair.

\- "Well, shall we go look for this guy in the forest, or what? Just you and me?" He said, winking at her, his usual smartass smile full on.

\- "Let's go, idiot." She said, pushing his head back, her hand unceremoniously smooching his face.

* * *

Oh shit, that was a mistake. Definitely not his brightest move.

But people had to understand, he was desperate. Really desperate. He had tried everything else, to win back some money. He had worked double, triple, he had sold almost everything he owned, he had tried to do new things, with new partners in business. But nothing, _nothing_ he ever tried would work out, in the end. He still couldn't understand why.

So yeah, he had had downs before. But here, today, he was at the worst place he had ever been at. He didn't mind that much having debts, and having to work extra-hard to get out of trouble. No, the problem today was who he owed money to. And he had known, from the very beginning, that those guys weren't exactly of the permissive kind. But what could he say? He was a hopeless optimist and he couldn't help it. He genuinely thought his business was going to work out, this time, and that he was going to pay those guys back in no time.

And now, here he was, forced to steal from some of the nicest creature of Spira, Hypellos. But he had had no choice. His creditor had given him three days to pay him back the Gils. Three days! It was madness, pure madness. He didn't have 800 000 Gils. That's why he'd borrowed them in the first place!

He was tried, he was hot, and all those fiends didn't make his escape any easier. He wasn't that great in combat, and his HP were dangerously low. He looked in his bag, only to realize he only had two potions left. Oh boy, was he in trouble.

If only he could reach the lake, then he'd be safe. After stealing the money, he had want to stop for a bit, just to catch up his breath. Only, he had fallen asleep for three hours. And now, he was still in Moonflow, with the entire content of a cash register stuffed in his green backpack. People were probably already looking for him. His only hope lied in the fact that they'd think he was already far away from here, and so they wouldn't look for him there. He stopped running, struck by an idea. It was so crazy it could actually work. All he had to do was hide, and wait.

It was a brilliant plan. What could go wrong?

* * *

Truth was, she was not _over him_ , per say.

He was so annoying, so full of himself, so ridiculous and immature sometimes, and yet… She was madly attracted to him. She couldn't explain it to herself, but she at least had to admit it. He was super attractive, and she did want the G.

She had had the G, actually. A few times. But it was not a good idea to go back there. They had fun, and got along great, apart from their constant bickering—it was their way of communicating. But Cid had decided that he was "too old" and "too impetuous" for her. And she wouldn't have cared, nor listened to him, if it wasn't for his threats. Yes, her own pops had threatened her, could you believe it? She should have disowned him as her Dad, or something, back then. But that wasn't even the thing. The biggest problem was that the threat didn't really concern her personally. No, it concerned her good ol' friend Gippal.

Rikku was madly walking over the leaves, cutting every branches that was unfortunate enough to get in her way, passing her nerves on Mother Nature. Oh, the thief was going to regret ever stealing that Hypello Inn, she could tell you that much. She sighted heavily, deeply annoyed by the chuckles she was hearing behind her. She looked over her shoulder, meeting with Gippal's broadest smile, and a little wave. He was enjoying this way too much.

Then came a garm, a sort of wolf with what looked like a big violet stain on its neck, out of the woods and directly towards Rikku. Without even blinking, she stroked the poor fiend right on the neck with her left dagger, and it instantly fell, lifeless, at her feet.

\- "Wohohoo", Gippal let out in bewilderment, his fist covering his mouth. "You need to _chill_ , Rikks. Seriously, what's wrong with ya, girl?"

\- "Nothing! I'll chill when we'd have found the bastard." She replied, as sharp and cold as her dagger.

\- "Ok, ok, you're the boss." Gippal said, raising both his hands.

Truth was, he didn't mind her rage. It was actually pretty funny to watch. And to be stuck on a crappy mission with a beautiful, crazy blond girl, well, he could find worst things to be doing on an Ifritday afternoon.

* * *

\- "He doesn't seem to be here, sir."

\- "We'll look a bit more, and then get back." Nooj said.

The pair didn't talk much, but then again, they didn't need to. They communicated very well just with their body language, and understood and interpreted each of the other's reactions without needing to speak, which resulted very useful when they had to be as silent as could be, to catch an enemy by surprise.

They had taken the shoopuf to get to the other side of the Moonflow. It was pretty unlikely the thief had used it, but then again, the water wasn't that deep, and the path was short enough. It would certainly have been the way he would have gone, had he want to take the least practical route, hence the least likely, to fool his pursuers. It was a bit twisted, but hey, wasn't the mind of an outlaw?

Lucil remembered the Hypellos not letting her Chocobo, only survivor of Operation Mi'ihen, on the huge elephant-like animal, but she wasn't one to hold a grudge. The Hypellos were nice people nonetheless. And they certainly didn't deserve that some idiot stole all their hard-earned money.

She squatted, looking at some prints on the ground. Recreating crime scenes with only mere hints Mother Nature had left her was her specialty. She was very observant, and had the thief gone through this part of the forest, she would find out very soon.

\- "Lucil! Could you come look at this, please?"

\- "Yes sir, be there in a sec."

Lucil could proudly say she had a great boss. Nooj was a just, good-spirited man. He always had the interest of others at heart, so much so he would usually neglect his own. But that was part of Lucil's job, too. To remind him to take care of himself. Sometimes, she would think to herself that the pair of them was a bit like a platonic couple. They shared everything—not _everything_ , since they were both very secretive, but they trusted each other completely—solved many problems together, took care of each other. The only line separating them from mere co-workers to something more was physical contact. They would avoid it, almost instinctively, and just ignore any kind of physical attraction that could occur between them. But she at least had to be honest with herself. Nooj was pretty damn hot.

He had had a tumultuous relationship with that evil blond girl, Leblanc, but he had recently cut off all contacts. She had always wanted more from him than him from her. He just wanted someone to share his bed with, some lonely nights.

Truth was, Nooj didn't seem to care about any women, nor men, for that matter. From what Lucil had gathered, thanks to their many months of closely working together, he was still mourning his special someone. She didn't know whether it was a she or a he, their name, what had happened, how long ago. But she could feel it. This was a man who had deliberately chose to close off his heart, because he had been burned by love in the cruelest way. Sin was probably the one responsible, as he used to snatch loved ones from so many Spirans' grasp. But she couldn't know for sure, and it was out of the question to ever ask him.

He was looking at some weird traces on the ground, and she came closer to have a look at it. It seemed like ruins of an old fire camp. The wood had almost entirely burned off, leaving a black burned stain on the earth. Someone had definitely been there, and pretty recently, Lucil concluded, looking closely at a bit of burned earth between her fingers. This fire had been up and running 5 hours' prior, tops. But was it their thief? Or just a mere traveler stopping to eat his diner? She glanced around the small camp, looking for more clues. This was like a game to her. Reconstituting the puzzle of the past, recreating a scene, now over, in her mind.

Nooj looked at her, used to see her skills in action, but impressed nonetheless. That woman was the strongest person he knew. Life had been so rough on her, and yet, here she was, still getting up in the morning, fighting for Spira with all her strength. He didn't know much, as she never talked about it, but he knew enough to wonder how she could still be that clear-minded and optimist. If he had to sum her up in one sentence, he would say: "Where there's a will, there's a way". It was what she would always say to him whenever he would feel like giving up on something.

She was about seven, when all her family had gotten killed during a tempest caused by Sin. She had had to get out of her destroyed house, the only survivor, for some unknown reason, and go deep into the night by herself. Only to imagine the little girl, lost, walking among the debris of her home, horrifying images of her family in states Nooj preferred not to picture, and his heart would clench. Elma had told him once-she was a talker, the opposite of her friend-sister-co-worker Lucil-that the girl had walked, alone, cold, scared and probably hungry, for days and days before she had finally reached a shelter. That's where she had found Elma, two years younger than her. She had also lost her parents, and her uncle had left her there, since he already did not have enough money to take care of his own kids and himself. They had instantly bonded, and quickly became like sisters. Elma said Lucil had almost raised her, even if they were only two years apart. They had also met Clasko, orphan as well, and the three of them made quite the team. They had formed a new family in the midst of the chaos left by Sin.

It was upon her fifteenth birthday, after a visit of the Crusaders at the shelter, that Lucil had found her calling: she, too, wanted to fight for Spira. Elma and Clasko had chosen the same way, as they wanted the same things. And so they had trained hard and, in time, won some respect amongst the other Crusaders members, enough to become proud Chocobo Knights, ten years later.

And even after the Crusaders movement had disappeared, shortly following the failure of Operation Mi'ihen, Lucil still wanted to devote her life to Spira, to make it better and safer for everyone. That's when she had met Nooj, as he was just starting off his Youth League project, at the beginning of the Eternal Calm. Lucil, Elma and Clasko were in Luca, helping out and trying to come up with a new life plan, when he gave a conference at the Stadium, to motivate people to join him, to help him make his vision come true.

And there they were, two and a half years later. He could never have done all that he had without her. She was his strength when his would get weary, his brain when he needed new ideas, and his best friend always. That's partly why the cause of the orphans was so dear to him, because it was to her. He couldn't fix her past, but he could change the future. And he could try and give those children the loving homes she had never gotten.

\- "What's wrong, sir?" Lucil asked, puzzled by his unreadable expression as he looked at her.

\- "Nothing," he said quickly, brought back to reality. He shook his head, laughing nervously. "Nothing. I was just lost in thoughts, is all."

Lucil smiled and nodded, although still a bit confused. She turned and kept looking for clues. But she was almost 80% positive, their target hadn't chosen this route. This was someone else's. A dangerous someone else.

* * *

\- "Didn't you hear something, just then?"

\- "Probably the sound of all the little Moogles, living inside your empty head?" Gippal offered, while his mouth made what was almost an upside-down closed smile and he nodded for himself, proud of his own come-back.

During a brief second, she pictured herself yelling furiously and smashing her fist deep in his smug little smartass face. But instead, she closed her eyes, breathed in, and then out, and the feeling passed. She chose to ignore him, and looked around her, following her instinct. They were deep in the forest, and up until then, no sign of the guy. Rikku was about to give up when she heard a noise: someone, or something, moving leaves. It could have been a fiend, but then again, he probably would have attacked them by now.

She heard Gippal breathe in, about to speak, and she immediately shushed him, her eyebrows furrowing. She titled her head to her left side, letting him know she really thought something was there. He nodded, for once in his life looking the tiniest bit serious, and he followed her. They both walked as silently as they could, and, as they stood behind the bushes from which Rikku had heard the noise, they looked at each other, silently communicating. Rikku counted on her fingers: 1, 2 and…

3! They both drawn their weapons as they jumped below the bushes, only to find a small rabbit looking at them funny. It was chewing grass, and seemed awful relaxed, its eyes only half-opened. Gippal couldn't stop himself from bursting into laughter as he dropped his sword, and Rikku crossed her arms, giving him a dirty, tired look.

\- "Hahaha! A rabbit! A mother-fucking stoned rabbit!" He held his arms across his stomach, in what Rikku thought was an overly dramatic move. It wasn't even that funny to begin with.

She sighed, and smacked her clenched-fist into a tree nearby.

\- "Damn it! We're never going to find this guy."

\- "Aaaaaah! Wasps! Waaasps!" Someone yelled, but it wasn't Gippal, Rikku realized, looking at him. He was just as puzzled as she was, suddenly not laughing anymore.

A loud _thud_ echoed next to them, as they saw a figure falling ungracefully from a branch of the tree, its head first. A cloud of buzzing bugs followed, stopping to punish the intruder, and leaving just as quickly.

\- "Aouch. Gosh that hurt. "

The guy looked up, only to find himself face to face with Rikku and Gippal, both of them with their arms crossed over their chests. Ok, this was bad, but he thought he could still lie his way out of this, and even make a bit of money, why ever not?

\- "Welcome to O'aka's!" He sang in his Cockney accent, his arms opening wide.

But then, his backpack fell from the tree to land between his hands, bills and Gils coming out of it. Karma, he bitterly thought. He had definitely been caught red-handed.

\- "O'aka? Really, you're the thief?" Rikku let out, smacking her hand in her face.

The merchant scratched his head, laughing nervously. To think he had been this close to successfully escaping. Well, let justice be made.

* * *

\- "Why didn't you reach out to us? We've helped you before, haven't we?" Yuna said calmly.

They were back at the Inn, and O'aka, after presenting his deepest apologies to the Hypellos and giving them back the money he had stolen from them, had explained everything to the team.

\- "Right, because that's not the first time this happens to you, as I seem to recall." Gippal remarked bitterly.

Not too long ago, the merchant was in debt of the Al-Bhed, and he had hidden out on board of the Gullwings' ship until he was solvent again. For a merchant, he sure didn't handle his affairs very well. He told them about his business with Cid at Mt. Gagazet's hot springs failure, how Cid had saved his own skin before it was too late and left him on his own. He had wanted to give it another shot, and borrowed some more money to some really bad and dangerous people—he didn't dare tell them who—to better his project, but it had failed again.

Yuna, Rikku and Tidus were still very fond of him, and couldn't stay mad at him really. He had been so helpful during their pilgrimage, staying faithful to them even after they were branded traitors of Spira by Yevon. Rikku offered that he'd work on Bikanel digging fields to win back the money he owed. Gippal grumbled a bit, but ended up accepting.

\- "Oh thank ye, Gippal sir, I will work hard, I promise!"

\- "Yeah, well you'd better."

Since they eventually planned of going there too, it was decided by the majority that O'aka would journey with them. It would both prevent his creditor from finding and hurting him, and allow them to keep an eye on him, and make sure he wouldn't try anything stupid again.


	8. Chapter 7 - Making amends

To fanficlove2014: Yup me too, Tidus and Gippal just scream bromance! Haha yeah, I put a little hint about O'aka for you there ;) #thetruefansknowwhatsup

Enjoy!

* * *

 **Chapter 7 – Making amends**

 **Seventh Stop: Guadosalam**

They were invited to dine with Tromell, now leader of the Guados, and Yuna thought she was probably going to have to drag Tidus to the table. He did not trust that guy one bit, not since he had destroyed Lord Jyscal's sphere, and sent Guado soldiers after their team to avenge Seymour. Yuna tried to reason with him, explaining to him how sorry he felt afterwards, and how he had done everything in his power to better the relationships with the rest of the Spirans ever since.

Truth was, Rikku didn't have any interest in staying too long here either. She had never liked Guadosalam. Apart from the fact that it was dangerously close to the Thunder Plains, the atmosphere here was always so glum.

First off, it gave way to the Farplane. But if that wasn't enough, the entire city was buried in some kind of gigantic tree, and you could barely see the light of day passing through the climbing plants. And finally, Guados were pretty gloomy. Sure, sure, their ex-leader was a psycho who had killed his dad, had a weird obsession with Sin and had tried to kill off the Ronso species and basically all of Spira. But that didn't mean they had to be so depressed all the time. They lacked sunlight and Rikku was sure this was the very reason why they weren't happy. And it was getting contagious. She needed herself some sun.

As they entered, they were greeted by two young Guados who took their armors and weapons—Tidus reluctantly gave his. Gippal reassured him whispering he had two small guns hidden in his jacket, just in case.

Yuna was glad to see the Guados had taken back what was rightfully theirs. She hated what Leblanc had done with the place. It was a good thing her squat was over. They entered the big banquet room—where Seymour had asked Yuna to marry him, Tidus recalled, his eyebrows meeting. Yuna, as if reading his mind, took his hand there, and smiled at him sweetly. It efficiently calmed him, and he squeezed his hand in reply. It was all ancient history, over and buried—and so was Seymour.

\- "Lady Yuna! What an honor! And Nooj, Commander Lucil, Gippal, young Rikku!"

But then his gaze fell upon Tidus icy blue eyes and he stuttered, embarrassed.

\- "Ha! Tidus, was it? It is… nice to see you again. Please forgive us for…"

\- "Trying to kill us all?" He finished, talking openly.

They all hold their breaths, looking at him expectantly. That very moment would shape the atmosphere of the entire evening. It was all up to Tidus. Yuna silently prayed, Gippal waited, curiously amused either way and Rikku was already eyeing the strawberry chocolate cake, not too far from her. She wondered if it would taste as good as it looked.

\- "That's alright, Tromell. It's in the past." He finally said, extending his arm to the Mevyn of the Guados.

The team let out one big sigh of relief as Tromell shook it, smiling. All was well. Yuna caressed Tidus' arm, silently letting him know she was proud of him, and he kissed her cheek. The hell with the rest. They were together, and proudly so.

\- "So…" Rikku started. "Shall we dine?" She clapped her hands, excited by all the food.

\- "Is eating all you think about, fat-ass?" Gippal replied, when he already had a plate in his hand.

He used it as a weapon, and spanked her lightly around her low back area. She punched his arm, hard, and the plate fell out of his grasp, and exploded into tiny pieces that scattered on the ground.

Rikku and Gippal instantly looked at Tromell, the same innocent smile on their lips. They looked like two kids trying to cute their moms out of punishing them. Tromell just shrugged, handing them new plates.

They were made for each other, Yuna thought, laughing for herself, her fist in front of her mouth.

* * *

The diner was going well. Tidus bonded with Tromell, Yuna learned a few things about Lucil, Rikku loved the food, and they had strategically made Gippal sit at the other end of the table, away from her and between two boring Guados so no diplomatic incident would be caused. Finally, Nooj silently ate, as usual. They talked politics, and how some Guados were planning to create a summer camp for Guados-Ronsos children. It was still in negotiation, but Kimhari the Elder had agreed, he just needed time to convince the others Ronso that this was the correct path, and that vengeance was not. This was either a very good, or a very bad idea. Tidus pictured a hundred little Ronsos wanting to fight to prove their strength, and a hundred little Guados, socially and physically awkward, though for the majority pretty smart. It was the popular kids Vs the nerds cliché all over again. It would probably be hard to make them get along. But maybe forcing them to get along wasn't the solution. Maybe the key lied in letting them grow and communicate together, to shape generations of more open-minded Guados and Ronsos. It was definitely a step towards a healthier relationship, that was certain.

The atmosphere was airy and lively, the leaf liquor, specialty of the Guados, and the music of the Macalania musicians aiding somewhat to lighten the mood. After diner, Tromell asked them to play a symphony, and he invited his guests to dance. Tidus, without hesitating, took Yuna's hand in his, and dragged her on the dancefloor, making her knee-long blue skirt bloom like a flower as he made her turn over and over again.

Everybody was impressed by his talent as a dancer, Yuna in particular. She didn't know he had it in him, and she absolutely loved it. He brought her closer to him, one arm wrapped around her waist. His fingers were intertwined with hers, and one swiftly calculated move after the other, he made her twist and turn, away from him and close again. Finally, as the cheery, rhythmic music was about to end, Tidus pressed his chest to hers, dragging both their upper-body parts down, his knee behind her low back, holding her in place. The final movement of their dance was very warmly applauded by the others. Their faces were close together, his blue gaze deep anchored in hers, her heavy breath mingling with his. She smiled at him, genuinely impressed. As he was about to bring the both of them back up, Yuna wrapped both her arms around Tidus' neck, and she kissed him passionately, in front of everyone staring. He responded to her kiss, losing his balance a bit under the force of her embrace. He distractively heard Rikku chanting "Woowoowooo!" and Gippal whistling, affectuously mocking them. Well, if they weren't official before, they certainly were now.

Tidus had set the ball rolling, and quickly, the other guests started to join them and dance as well. O'aka was the first one to make a move, and he asked commander Lucil to dance, much to Nooj's dismay. Dancing was stupid, anyway. Rikku, still eyeing the rest of the chocolate cake—the Guados were taking the rests back to the kitchen, she sadly noticed—was caught by surprise when she looked in front of her only to discover Gippal, bowing like prince charming, offering her his right palm.

\- "May I have this dance, Milady Rikks?" He said in his famous seducer's smile.

Rikku acted as if she thought about it a bit, one finger on the edge of her lips, looking up at the celling, and then she said, dragging a Guado about her age—which was pretty cute, except for his big hairy feet—along with her:

\- "No, good sir, you may not."

If he thought this was all it took, then man, he was more clueless than a black mage casting Firaga on a Flame Flan.

* * *

\- "And you see this spot over there? That's where I would go to hang out with my friends and practice my blitzball skills!" Tidus pointed at some far away small square, just beside the water.

Tromell had dug up the sphere Seymour had shown them during their first visit in Guadosalam. From memories of the dead who had lived in Zanarkand 1000 years ago, it recreated the city as it once had been. The Guado had been nice enough to give it to them, as he had no use for it. So, after the rest had gone to sleep in the mansion, Tidus and Yuna had sneaked back downstairs in the big room to project the sphere, just the two of them.

\- "Show me your house again!" Yuna said excitingly.

Tidus grabbed the sphere and tried to rewind the thing at the adequate moment. But as he couldn't find it, he started it again from the beginning. He couldn't get enough of it, anyway.

He grabbed Yuna's hand and helped her up. Suddenly, they were in space. Countless and countless shining white stars surrounded them, some bigger than others. No matter where they looked—up, down, right or left—all they saw was the infinity of the dark-blue space. A torrent of comets was flowing across the sphere, traversing them as if not minding their presence. Tidus wrapped one hand around her waist and they both looked in awe as they arrived directly from space to Zanarkand.

In a dazzling sound and light, buildings and houses appeared all at once. They were followed by a second flash of light, that painted the atmosphere over the space sky. Tidus and Yuna were now above ground, seeing the complex modern edifices, along with big crystal tunnels and arcs within which ran waters.

\- "What were those for, again?" Yuna asked, pointing at a gigantic watery arc.

\- "We would transform water into energy, to power our machinas and our houses." He said as he kissed her hair. He was behind her, both his arms circling her waist. Her hands were on his and her head was perfectly placed on the hollow of his neck, fitting like two pieces of a puzzle.

The view changed as they seemed to move across the skies, and they could see some small buildings, shaped like domes, constructed on water, and others, way bigger, from witch water poured down off. In the middle of it all stood a huge waterfall. Everywhere, the city beamed of lights, shining like a colossal star in the midst of darkness.

As they seemed to go down again, towards the ground, Tidus, dragging Yuna's hand with his, pointed at some distant spot in front of them, towards the water. He placed his chin on her shoulder, lowering his view to hers, and closed one eye:

\- "See that building shaped like a weird boat over there, by the shining arc? That's my place." He whispered in her left ear.

At that moment, a woman began appearing, followed by a guy and two little girls. They penetrated in what looked like an empty mall, full of people. Someone was speaking on the microphones, but they didn't listen. Tidus grabbed the sphere at Yuna's feet and pressed the pause button.

\- "So, Lady Yuna, shall we do some shopping?"

\- "What's 'shopping'?" She asked, puzzled, tilting her head to one side.

Tidus laughed, a soft smile on his lips. His world was so different than hers, he tended to forget it sometimes.

\- "It's when you want to buy something. You go to a mall—which is this place full of different shops—and we call shopping the action of buying all sorts of things. Like clothes, for instance."

\- "You would buy your clothes already made?" Yuna began, surprised. "In Spira everyone inherits them, or they sew them themselves. Especially in Besaid, Wakka, Chappu, Lulu and I learned to make our own as we were kids. Why waste Gils to buy things you could make for yourself?"

\- "Well, people in my town got lazy, I guess. It was easier and faster that way."

\- "I see." Yuna nodded, looking at a window display showing dresses and suits. "But then people all dressed the same, didn't they? That's no fun!"

\- "Yeah, I guess they kinda did. But that way, everyone who'd buy the prettiest items was in style guaranteed."

Yuna nodded again, strolling across people, looking at their pieces of clothing, their faces, waving in front of them. She came to stand in the middle of the mall and looked up toward the celling. It was open, showing off the starry purple blue and black sky.

\- "This is so big!" She let out, both her arms open wide, jumping a bit.

He came to grab her by the hand, and they pretended to walk amongst those people for a bit. It felt so good being back here. He hadn't realized how much he had longed to see his Zanarkand before this. He unpaused the sphere, and they were back to seeing the city from afar, going further and further by the minute, like a spaceship floating across town, going back towards space. Once they were back in the never-ending starry skies, they knew the sphere had reached its end. But instead of stopping, it would show the last image indefinitely. They would stay stuck in space, stars shining all around them, until they'd turn the sphere off.

\- "How did Tromell knew we'd be interested in this?" Tidus asked, looking at Yuna.

\- "Well", she replied, "I figured you'd like it, so I asked him for it myself in a letter, a while ago."

\- "You did?" Tidus said, touched by her gesture. He grabbed both her hands so she would stand in front of him and he placed them on either sides of his neck, his still resting on them. "That's the sweetest thing anyone's ever done for me."

She caressed his cheek and kissed him, slowly and softly. Her eyes still closed, Yuna stayed there, inches away from Tidus' mouth, focusing on his breathing, on his smell that resulted so familiar to her now, and taking him in, enjoying the jolts of electricity that being close to him provoked in her body. He did the same, caressing the tip of her nose with his, and he sighed, his breath meeting hers.

And then, as if Tidus couldn't take it anymore, he crushed his lips on hers hungrily, passionately. He grabbed her legs and wrapped them around his waist, bringing her closer to him. His fist grabbed locks of her hair at the back of her head and he pulled a bit, both breathing in from their loss of physical contact, positioning her soft curved lips perfectly on his. She returned his kiss just as powerfully, needing him like she had never had before.

And they turned around each other, in the middle of the stars, as the Moon and the Sun, finally meeting and merging, alone in their very own galaxy.

* * *

\- "Are you sure you guys don't want to go to the Farplane with us?" Gippal asked.

\- "Positive!" Yuna replied.

Tidus hadn't actually decided anything, but he didn't really care either way. They would just walk around Guadosalam in the meantime.

\- "Why didn't you want to go?" He asked as the others had left, curious. "Don't you want to see your mother and father?"

\- "No, I'll go see them some other time. Where do you fancy going?"

She was clearly avoiding the subject, and he wasn't sure why. From what she'd told him, she would often go, just to see their faces—one of her biggest fear was forgetting what they looked like—so why not today? She was hiding something.

\- "Yuna, what's wrong?"

\- "Nothing, I just don't feel like going, that's all."

He gave her a look, blocking her the way. She was going to have to get used to the fact that keeping things to herself was a big no-no.

\- "Please?"

She sighed, looking away. It's not that she didn't want to tell _him,_ she just didn't want to say it out loud, period.

\- "It's stupid."

\- "I won't laugh at you. Tell me?" He bended over, trying to force her to meet his gaze.

\- "I'm scared of what would happen if you went." She finally blurted out, blushing. "I'm not… I'm not risking to see you disappear on me again."

He started at her, stunned. She couldn't look at him, and her cheeks were as red as Auron's outfit once had been. He took her in his arms, kissing the top of her head.

\- "I'm not going anywhere. You hear me?"

She nodded, joining her hands in his back. He squeezed her harder, rocking her from left to right. She was so heartbreakingly cute. If she didn't want them to go, then they wouldn't go. He had just wanted to know why.

* * *

\- "You're staying too, Rikku? What's the matter, you scared?" Gippal teased.

He had been teasing her nonstop ever since they had woken up. He always did, really, but this morning, it had been different. He was meaner, rougher with her. At breakfast, he had told her that she shouldn't go to the Farplane, because she looked like death warmed up and maybe they would mistake her for an unsent and not let her walk out. Talk about harsh.

-"I don't like this place."

\- " Why not?"

\- "It's just illusions, you know? Not the real thing."

Gippal sighed, scratching his neck. He was kinda mad at her for yesterday. It had been a bit rude, even coming from her. But he would never ever let it show, because that would mean he had cared. And he hadn't, because of course he hadn't. It had just been another joke. Had she accepted, he would have slipped his hand through his hair, and said something like "Ups, changed my mind, I'll invite someone else, you're not worthy". Definitely.

\- "Fine then, wait for us here, alone." He blurted out as he caught up with the others.

Rikku looked at him, half smiling. She had been a little rough on him on the day before. But he had completely caught her off guard and she had not felt prepared. He was obviously a little upset about it, which she found very cute. She would make it up to him, somehow.

She sighed and sat up on the half-wall framing the stairs. She was better waiting for the rest here than being the third wheel of Tidus and Yunie, that was certain. Rikku couldn't understand why people wanted to go up there so much. She thought it did more bad than good. Honestly, the last time they had been there, everybody had come out of the Farplane with such long faces she could have written the complete story—early origins included—of the Al-Bheds on them twice.

Why would one deliberately want to inflict this to himself? You would go there, think of your special someone, and the pyreflies would create _an illusion_ of them, and then you would just talk to it while it silently floated in front of you. It couldn't reply, it couldn't even listen, it wasn't even there! She shook her head, trying to respect that her friends thought differently. Maybe Gippal was right, maybe she was scared. Scared of her reaction if she thought of her mom there, and if she appeared—or worst, if she didn't. After all, she had died when Rikku was still quite young, who knew if she remembered her enough to summon her face? She'd rather keep her memories inside.

The dead were dead, she thought. It was better to leave them at peace and try to go on living without them then to go back and muddle up with memories of the past. That would certainly mess you up. Rikku was sure they would come out of it all depressed and silent for the rest of the day. What a perfect mood to enter the Thunder Plains. She shivered at the thought. Man, she hated that place.

* * *

\- "Did you find him?" A deep, dark voice said, so calmly you could sense the tension behind it, threatening to explode at any second, like a timed-bomb.

Since the response was negative, the man only dared to move one step closer to his boss. It wasn't even his fault, but that _man_ definitely looked like the kind capable of killing the messenger. So he said nothing, literally shaking. That little bastard had escaped, and he owed them money. Well, he owed _him_ money.

The atmosphere of it all didn't help him feel any safer. They were deep inside a cave, everything was dark and quiet, except for a red fire crackling in the big, rock-made chimney. Partially hiding its light, the scary man stood on a chair. The visitor could only guess his silhouette. He couldn't see his face, and maybe it was better this way. No one would see his face, ever, which made him even scarier. Was he scarred? Had his face been distorted beyond recognition? Were his eyes really two dark holes, instantly aspiring your soul if you ever looked into them, like he had heard? The thing was: it seemed no one had lived to tell the story.

And maybe it was just his way of advertising, pretending to be so scary because no one had seen his face, when really, he was just a plain looking guy. Yes, he liked that idea. It was a much more pleasant thought.

\- "Do you truly wish to see my face, boy?" The profound voice asked, creepily amused.

Could he… Could he read his mind? No, that wasn't possible. It must have been a coincidence. Maybe he asked this to every person who ever came to see him. After all, the myth of _Bonecrave_ was well known around mafia people. He was the one man known to have survived a direct Sin attack. Or had he survived? Was he an unsent? Either way, he was probably not human anymore. Had he ever been?

\- "You are very curious, aren't you? I like curious people." The man said, standing up.

He began casually strolling, his hands—at least he had normal, although huge, looking hands—behind his back. The young man gulped. He felt like his life was this fragile, little thing the man was toying with, much like a puma playing with its prey before crushing its soft neck and drinking out his blood, eating its flesh. His fate lay in his dark, colossal hands.

\- "Do you know why I _usually_ like curious people, boy?"

The visitor shook his head, too scared to speak. Why had he accepted this job again? He should have listened to his mom and gone with his aunt to sell her ointments in Kilika. But no, he had wanted to do something on his own, to prove that he could make something for himself. He shook his head again, this time to bring himself back to reality. His mind unconsciously kept trying to send him away in thoughts, because he was so scared he couldn't handle facing this situation being fully aware.

\- "Because _usually_ , they are good at digging up secrets and finding what I want them to."

That's the second time he had said "usually", which couldn't be good. Even though he thought the young man was curious, and he liked curious people, he did not like him. That was probably going to be a problem. Plus, it was an especially bad day for him to stay here any longer than necessary. He couldn't be late. You see, he had to be back home early, his mom wanted him to help him cook a pie for the two elderly neighbors. And he was such a bad cook, he was going to need time, to do the recipe a couple times before doing it right. What time was it now? He was probably already late.

Boncrave chuckled, his horrible, unsettling, husky laugh echoing across the cold, humid room.

\- "You sure have a lot of thoughts, for someone dumb enough to come back here empty-handed."

Ok. So _He_ probably could read his mind. But the young man refused to panic. He breathed in a shaky breath, and closed his eyes, praying. After all, the man he had to bring back to _the boss_ was only a mere merchant, and he didn't even owe him that much money. Well, it was a lot of money, objectively. But considering who he was talking to right now, this probably was nothing for him. A mere tip. He meant no disrespect, of course. He knew the man was impressive, and he respected him a lot. Damn, that was a way too suck-up thing to say/think. And he was probably reading his mind now. Which meant he could hear him in that very moment. He had to stop thinking. But how did one stop thinking?

\- "Let me show you how, boy. It's pretty easy," Bonecrave growled, the disturbing sound coming from deep within his throat.

A gust. He yelled. And then all turned black.


	9. Chapter 8 - The consequences of meddling

Xcom-anders: Thanks! I couldn't have hoped for a better praise ;)

fanficlove2014: Thank you as usual, my faithful reader!

* * *

 **Chapter 8 – The consequences of meddling**

 **Eighth stop: Thunder Plains**

Rikku wasn't scared. No sir! She had spent a week—that was, 7 whole scary dark days and six whole scarier and darker nights—camping right there, and now she was over it. Completely.

\- "Hey wait up you guys!" She yelled as she opened back her eyes, only to find out that the rest of the team was already pretty far ahead.

She couldn't stray too much from them. Who would protect them against the thunder if not her? She felt burdened with a mission today.

"Dizzzzzzzzzzzzle." The sound had come from behind her ear, and she jumped, shouting insanities in Al-Bhed. But then a laugh followed, and she uncovered her eyes, only to find Mr. Smartass himself, bursting with laugher. Of course, who else if not him? She stared at him, deeply annoyed. And to top it all off, the responsible of the very bad joke couldn't stop laughing. How much of a creep was he, really? Rikku thought to herself. He had waited behind her a while, enough so that she'd think he was away with the others and all that only for _this._

\- "That's not funny!" She said as she hit him, so hard he fell to the ground right into a big dirty puddle.

\- "Not scared anymore, huh Rikks?" Gippal said, winking at her.

He propped himself up. Well, his butt was soaking-wet, and it was incredibly uncomfortable. But seeing the look on her face just then was worth having his butt wet for at least a year.

\- "Can't you ever, like, leave me alone? Honestly, just find yourself someone else to toy with, ok?" She said, clearly upset, and then she left running towards the others. A lightning bolt almost hit her, and she jumped aside, yelling.

Maybe he had gone too far this time. He scratched his head. He had thought it would make her laugh. It usually did, even though he was hard on her. Plus, he didn't want to find someone else to toy with. She was the one he wanted…to tease.

* * *

Nooj was awfully quiet. He always was, really, but she could always tell what he was saying, through his gestures and expressions. But he just walked alongside her, his gaze dull. She hadn't meant to spy, but earlier, as they were all talking to their loved ones on the Farplane, Lucil had peeped at her left side. Nooj was all the way in the corner, trying to hide whoever he was seeing with his massive figure. But she had spotted long, blond hair—it could belong to a guy, but that wasn't very likely—and the edge of a long black skirt. And then the image was gone, and Nooj looked in front of him, into nothingness.

Had he chose to send her away? Or had she disappeared because he couldn't remember her? When Lucil tried to summon her mom, seven times out of ten, she -wouldn't appear. She understood the pain. Fewer things were worse than finding out you were in the midst of forgetting the people you had lost. That was why she had wanted to come here. She never had the opportunity of going to Guadosalam, and she needed to practice her memory. The commander didn't want to forget.

She was about to say something, when O'aka sprinted past them.

\- "Fiends! Fieeeeeends!"

Yuna looked behind her shoulder, followed by Tidus and Rikku, only to find out that at least five Kusariqqu, three flying Buer and an Iron Giant were chasing them. Gippal briefly looked at O'aka, as he ran past him, annoyed. The guy had, he ignored how, managed to attract half of the fiends living in the Thunder Plains after barely 30 minutes of being here.

They all drew their weapons, getting ready to fight, while O'aka kept running away. How had such a coward managed to survive on his own for so long? Well, he didn't mind, really. He always liked a good fight. And this sure was a challenge worthy of him.

Two of the Kusariqqu were the first to reach them. Rikku ran towards the first and stroke it down with her right dagger, but the second jumped on her, bringing her to the ground. Gippal instantly shot it from afar, and it disappeared in a whirlwind of lights. Yuna healed her with her Curaga, and she was back up, all ready to mingle again. One of the Buer inflicted Confuse on Nooj, who hit himself and fell to the ground, brutally cut by his own blade. Again, Yuna healed him, clearing his mind with Esuna.

All in one movement, Lucil ran, jumped on a third Kusariqqu head, and with her katana, she teared up the Buer responsible for Nooj's state in a powerful scream. It landed on the ground, exploding in a thousand little blue-purple-white lights. She swiftly fell back down, her knee and opposite forearm to the ground, her katana drawn back on her back. Yuna just had the time to cast Shell on her when the angry Kusariqqu opened its dragon mouth to unleash its powerful fire on Lucil. Tidus ran towards it and, aided by his watery sword Brotherhood, cut the fiend head in a nimble move. Just like its Buer ally, it disappeared into oblivion in a firework of pyreflies.

\- "We're outnumbered. Come on guys, let's do this!" He yelled as he casted Boostaga on the team, increasing their speed and moral.

Nooj was back in the game. He avoided the huge sword of the Iron Giant, and it felt powerfully on the ground next to him, making it shake. He planted his sword on its belly, but the fiend protected itself with its hands. Nooj moved one of his feet backwards, bringing his hand in front of his glasses, two fingers risen. He closed his eyes for a second, and then ran towards the enemy, casting Armor Break on the Giant. It fell back from the chock, making the ground tremble again. But it quickly got up, angrier than ever, and run back toward its enemy. Lucil appeared almost instantly in front of Nooj, taking the damages for him, like a Sentinel. She casted Drain, stealing the enemy's life to heal herself.

Briefly nodding towards her, he silently thanked her, and they both continued to take care of the Iron Giant, while the others focused on the rest.

O'aka came back, and threw a blinding bomb towards the enemy, but it fell short, and landed on Tidus, who missed his attack on the second Buer. Yuna gave him his sight back, asking O'aka as kindly as she could to move away from the fight.

The two Kusariqqu figured out Yuna had to be eliminated first, as she kept on healing the team. They both raced towards her, and she didn't have time to stop them. She fell to the ground, KO. Rikku and Tidus, in one same movement, threw a Phoenix down her way, followed by an Al-Bhed potion.

\- "Don't you faint on us, Yunie!"

\- "I won't!"

She bent her knees, drawing her staff like a sword. And when the fourth Kusariqqu attacked again, she avoided its armored body covered in dark scales, and threw the fiend away like a ball of golf; hitting it hard on the soft part of the belly. As it was farther from her, she took advantage of the time she had to cast Flare on the fifth Kusariqqu, which stopped it for a bit, but didn't kill it, as it was magic-resistant.

Tidus, to whom Yuna's KO had given just the push he needed, making him just the right amount of mad, casted his overdrive: he ran across all fiends, hitting hard one after the other. Finally, he jumped and did a backflip, as Yuna threw him a blitzball she had just summoned—they somehow hadn't lost practice from two years ago. It hit the second Buer full on its one big disgusting eye, and it fell backwards in a squeak. As the blond reached the ground, the two Kusariqqu fell simultaneously, overkilled.

Only the Iron Giant and one of the Buer were left alive. Rikku stole a few items as she tried to hit it, but she missed, and the Buer stroke her down with its Confuse Ray. Yuna brought her back to life, just as Gippal was throwing her a Phoenix down. It missed, but Rikku appreciated the gesture, and smiled at him. He winked at her in a silent "you're welcome", and destroyed what was left of the last Buer, reducing it to ashes with the big flaming wheel at the top of his big blade.

Two Haarma, attracted by the sound, came flying towards them. Without blinking, Yuna casted Flare on them, one after the other. Before they could even reach them, they dropped miserably to the ground, overkilled. Gippal whistled, impressed, and all of them rushed to help Nooj and Lucil with the Iron Giant.

It didn't have a lot of HP left, and just as they arrived, Nooj struck it down on a strong ultimate blow.

\- "Lalalalaaaa laaa laaa lalilaaaaaa!" Rikku happily sang as she did a little dance, her fist up, her butt swinging from left to right.

The rest of the team glared at her, not understanding what it was she was doing. Nooj had been healed, but he still felt a bit tired, and was leaning a bit on Lucil. Gippal, his huge gun resting on his shoulders, acted as if he was totally fine, but his crisped smile and the fact that he hadn't made fun of Rikku just now meant he was equally as tired. And finally, Yuna was finishing to heal Tidus, who still felt a bit weak.

\- "What? We won! Don't you think we deserve a little _Victory Fanfare_ to congratulate us?"

They turned away, almost ignoring her and began chatting about how they should go over to that shelter and rest for a bit. She was about to get mad, but she heard Yuna mentioning that they could have lunch, and she forgot all anger and focused on one happier thought: food!

* * *

\- "I'm sorry for earlier. You want the rest of my sandwich?" Gippal offered, a genuine smile on his lips.

He sat next to her, and Rikku looked at his face, wary. Was that another joke? Did the sandwich have something poisonous or weird in it? He brought it a bit closer to her mouth, encouraging her to take it. She carefully did, still staring at him, trying to figure him out. She briefly smelled the food before taking a bite. It was very good—tomatoes, melted cheese, nuts, fish—Geosgaeno steak, her favorite!—and all that wrapped in Al-Bhed bread, soft but crunchy.

\- "Thanks. And I'm sorry too, you know, for the dance thing at Tromell's place. That was a bit mean", she said, mouth full.

He shrugged, acting too cool for school, when really, he appreciated that she'd apologize. He patted her back, a little bit too strongly, and she almost spitted out her bite. Rikku looked at him, wondering if he had done it on purpose. But he looked away at the stormy sky, suddenly deep in thought. That man was so awkward sometimes. She gave him back his sandwich and took out her own from her bag. Tromell's cook had gently made her one, after she had spent 45 minutes talking about how that chocolate cake tasted like heaven. She cut out a bit of it, and offered it to him.

\- "Here, she said. Now we're even."

He was about to grab it, when she took it out of his reach, saying:

\- "But don't you ever dare do that to me again, or it won't be just your butt that will come out wet, ok?"

Wait. That didn't sound right. She looked up at the ceiling of their shelter, thinking of what her threat really implied, and trying to find a better one. Gippal, his hand holding up his head, stared at her, amused.

\- "I mean…" She started.

\- "Message received, Rikks", he said in a laugh. "Now gimme that delicious thing!"

He grabbed the sandwich and ate a huge bite out of it, leaving her with the little piece that was meant for him.

\- "Hey! That's my part! Gimme my baby back! Freddy made it for meeheehee!"

O'aka brusquely stood up. He walked until he had everyone in his field of sight, and bowed.

\- "Everyone. Please forgive me. You have saved me and that's how I repay you. I am truly sorry."

They looked at each other, perplexed. The man was a disaster, that was true. But he was also a good-hearted person. Yuna was the first one to talk:

\- "You're okay, O'aka. But next time, please try not to anger the fiends, ok?"

\- "Whatever did happen back there?" Rikku asked.

\- "Well…" The famous merchant began, scratching his head. "I saw this weird stone with a Quatuar carved in it. I tried touching it, and it got all shiny. A Quatuar attacked me and it hit a group of sleeping fiends with its 1000 Needle attack."

Well, they thought, it was completely his fault, then. The Quactuars were little bitches, usually.

\- "And that's how they woke up?" Lucil asked just to make sure. She felt like it wasn't the whole story

\- "Not exactly…" O'aka hesitated, feeling bound to honesty. "I… I may have stepped on a Kusariqqu tail… And… Blinded a Buer, by mistake… It fell out of my bag! It made them _slightly_ angry. But I didn't mean to, I promise."

It was then decided that from now on, O'aka would walk in front of the others _at all times_. Rikku liked him, though, he had brought a bit of action, and she had forgotten to be scared by the lightning thanks to him.

\- "That's AOK O'aks! We'll just have to teach you how to fight!" She added in an encouraging smile.

* * *

\- "Can't sleep, love?" The voice asked in a Cockney accent.

\- "For the love of machinas! O'aka, you scared the living hell out of me!" Rikku gasped, a hand on her heart. Her back found the wall behind her, and she forced herself to breathe.

Indeed, she couldn't sleep, so she figured she would go for a walk around the Inn, maybe go drink some sleeping potion. She felt the wall for the light—thunder powered!—and turn it on. But it wasn't O'aka sitting there.

\- "Man! I knew I was getting good with that impression thing!"

Rikku chuckled, shaking her head in amused disbelief. She sat backwards on a chair nearby, her head resting on its back.

\- "That your thing, Gippal? Staying up all night to practice your impressions skills?"

\- "You betcha!" He said in a dazzling smile. "Do you thing O'aka would have said "love", though? He seems like the kind of guy who'd say "love"." Gippal looked at the celling, deep in thought.

\- "Yeah. Yeah I think he would." She agreed, equally reflecting.

Gippal shook his head, and they both chuckled. It was a random thing to be thinking about, yet they found it somewhat interesting.

\- "So anyway, what brings you down here?" He asked, distractedly playing with his weapon, tossing the handle from one hand to the other.

\- "Too much noise." She answered in a sigh, pointing at the celling. The unceasing thunder echoed her statement, as if provoking her.

And just like that, the power went off. Rikku jumped, for a brief second feeling very much awake. She cursed in Al-Bhed, and Gippal laughed.

He was sitting at the other end of the room, the blue thundery light coming from the window underlining some of his features, like his nose and left cheekbone. His head was a bit turned, and Rikku could only see half his face. He looked down at the celling, clearly bothered by something.

\- "You?" She asked, her hand lazily coming to sustain her lazier head. She suppressed a yawn.

\- "Same, same." He said, a bit too suddenly.

She studied him for a moment. He had been acting weird ever since they had left Guadosalam. Could he actually be sad? Wow, that would be a first. Mr. Smartass actually displaying emotions.

\- "You sure, big boy?" She asked, her second hand coming under her other cheek.

He breathed out a long, powerful sight. Then he slipped his hand through his hair and on his face, giving himself little taps on the cheek.

\- "It's a long story."

\- "Hey, got all the time in the world, you know." She replied, stretching her two legs from either side of the chair. She knew she wasn't going to sleep anytime soon. Plus, she was curious now. And a little worried.

\- "Ok. Swear you won't laugh."

\- "I solemnly swear!" She said, raising her right hand, her entire head's weight instantly dropping to her other hand, making it tilt in a weird way.

\- "I had a nightmare", he said in a grimace, studying her reaction, as if somewhat scared of her.

\- "So? I'm not gonna laugh. Nightmares suck ass."

Gippal half-smiled, appreciating her not judging him. He finally looked at her, and she noticed he wasn't wearing his usual eye patch. She tried not to gasp, but she was sure he read some surprise on her face. She quickly erased it, acting like nothing had happened. She wasn't entirely sure because of how dark it was, but she could now guess why he was wearing the black leather strip: he had only one eye. She suppressed a shiver, wondering how that could ever have happened to him.

\- "Wanna talk about it?" She asked as carelessly as she could.

\- "It was about my parents and my little brother." He shrugged.

She looked at him sadly. His birth parents had died in a machina incident, and his adoptive ones in a Sin attack. Talk about bad luck. And to top that off, his little brother, Kim, and him had been separated from a very young age, and he still wasn't sure where he was. Or even if he was still alive. By then, after everything Gippal had tried to find him, and how famous he was among the Al-Bhed, he could only think that he was either dead, or he didn't want to be found. Rikku didn't dare ask which parents he was talking about. She realized then that he had lost a great deal of people. And although he was pretty popular with girls, he didn't seem to have anyone who deeply cared about him.

It didn't seem to affect him at all, so she had never wondered really. He always looked so indifferent about everything. But of course it was just an act. How could she have missed that? She mentally kicked herself. Rikku decided that from now on, she was going to cut him a lot of slack, he deserved it. Gippal looked at her then, and she tried to mentally send him all her empathy and affection in one gaze. Not even the thunder made her blink.

\- "You know…" She started.

\- "Shhhh!" He said, listening at something.

Well that was rude! She was about to get mad when she heard it too. In between thunders, this fleeting noise, like the wind carrying something at a high speed. They weren't sure why, but with one quick glance at each other, they both knew whoever or whatever that was, it was not friendly. Gippal, a finger on his lips, gestured for Rikku to come near him. He went to hide behind the bar and grabbed her arm, pulling her close to him. Just in time.

Slowly, the door of the Inn opened in a creaking noise. Two shadows came in, and Rikku was about to gasp when Gippal put a hand on her mouth. He was hunkered down behind her, and both were trying to see what was happening from the right side of the bar. No matter how hard they tried, they couldn't see their silhouettes. The shadows drew two massive swords that seemed to hang up in the air. Under the surprise's influence, Rikku's hands came rushing on her mouth, settling for squeezing Gippal's hand still covering it.

\- "Are you sure he's here?"

\- "What do I know? The people in Guadosalam said they saw someone who fitted the description coming that way. He probably stopped here for the night."

Rikku silently turned to face Gippal, pulling out his hand from her mouth. She mouthed "O'aka?" and he nodded gravely, agreeing with her. He eyed his weapon that he had stupidly left on the chair nearby. If he could only stretch out his arm…

\- "You heard that?" One of the voice, probably of a man, asked his partner.

Rikku looked at him reprehensibly. He had moved a few items from behind the counter by trying to reach for his sword. Thankfully, the storm kept raging on, and he took advantage of the noise to grab it.

\- "That's just the thunder, you paranoid twat." The other voice replied, definitely more high-pitched. "Ok, you go look at room number 1 to 10 and I'll do the rest, ok?"

\- "Erm… Don't you fancy a little tea first? I'm cold and tired and I need a break from all that running. We have all night, anyway."

The higher voice sighed, but seemed to agree, since they heard footsteps, almost as light as the air, coming towards the bar. Rikku's eyes opened wide, and she repetitively hit Gippal's arm to both warn him and work off her nerves. Just when she thought he was about to draw his sword, he dragged her under a trapdoor.

They arrived in a teeny tiny compartment and she threw him a questioned look. Where were they?

\- "I used to work here." He shrugged, explaining why he knew about this place.

They could stand up, but the room was so small their bodies were forced to be in contact. Rikku looked away, suddenly very uncomfortable. Why weren't they attacking them already? Gippal gulped, his mouth suddenly dry. Rikku was wearing a small t-shirt and shorts, and she was pressed against him. Her breath was blowing down his neck, leaving ghostly kisses and goosebumps on his skin. He closed his eyes, trying to focus.

\- "What do we do?" He whispered on her ear. His breath was warm, tinkling her earlobe. She shivered, surprised by his effect on her. We can't even see them.

She closed her eyes, trying to focus. And when the blond finally looked up at him, what she had suspected earlier was confirmed: a reddish scar traveled in waves across where his right eye used to be. He flinched under her gaze, his brows furrowing. He was about to hide it with one of his hand, but she stopped him, grabbing it. It didn't bother her. He still looked incredibly attractive, with his green eye intensively fixing her, his thin, straight nose and his enticing lips, half open now, as if he wanted to say something but couldn't. Butterflies grew in her stomach as she remembered how they tasted like. He moved a tad closer, drawn to her. They both seemed drunk on the other, in this close, warm space.

\- "What are we to do with him once we found him?" A voice upstairs said.

She mentally kicked herself as she came back to reality. This was definitely not the time to be having a moment. He cleared his throat, embarrassed. She let go of his hand and they both stood there, listening close.

\- "We'll take him to The Boss. He asked for him alive. And that won't be pretty."

Rikku looked at him. Poor O'aka, he sure had fallen onto a big mess. And now they had to get him out of it.

Rikku looked around them. The walls were full of shelves packed with diverse objects. Maybe some could be of use to them. She grabbed a greenish grenade. A smoke grenade, perfect. It would probably help them see the enemy. She took a few potions as well, just in case, and stuffed them in her pockets, handing some to him.

\- "We should go back. We can take them."

He sighed, reluctantly agreeing. Rikku contorted herself to move pass Gippal—was she trying to kill him? He thought as she rubbed against his legs. She climbed the little ladder and opened slightly the trapdoor, Gippal on her back. They weren't behind the bar anymore. Or at least they didn't appear to be. Carefully, she got out of the little room and sighed as silently as she could. Man, she was hot right now. Gippal followed. He gestured for her to stay down here, as she didn't have her weapons with her. She shook her head, bringing her hands into fists. He rolled his eyes. No way she'd listen, so why bother?

They walked like toddlers until they reached the left end of the bar. Gippal looked at her, counting on his fingers: 1…2…And…

3! She threw the grenade and they both jumped, expecting to see the two shadows sitting by the table. But no one was there. The grenade quickly dispersed, and all they saw were two cups of steaming tea left on the table, only mark of the spies' presence. They looked at each other, intrigued. A sharp pain rose in Gippal's neck, and he fell down to the ground.

\- "Gippal!"

Rikku jumped, turning over. No one still. Ugh, those two were seriously pissing her off now! She grabbed a potion from her pocket and broke it on Gippal.

\- "What? Who? Where?" He bolted, as if just awoken by a bucket of cold water.

\- "Stop being such cowards and show yourselves!" Rikku yelled, growing angrier by the minute.

She heard it again, a flicker of movement. So, in one quick move, she seized an empty glass bottle on the counter, smashed it partly and brought it in front of her, just as the shadow appeared in front of her. Like drops of ink falling on a blank piece of paper, the silhouette finally appeared from her contact with it. It stopped abruptly, breathing heavily from the shock. Gippal, hearing the same meager noise, did the same with his big sword, stopping the second shadow's blade only inches from his neck, just as the silhouette grew visible to the naked eye. Gippal kicked it out of the intruder's hand aided by his weapon. It dropped to the ground in a piercing metal noise.

Suddenly, they had them both overpowered. Rikku grabbed the braid of what she guessed was a girl, making her spin to immobilize both her arms, while Gippal caught the neck of the second, just as he was trying to disappear again. He knocked him out with the handle of sword. They didn't need the two of them conscious, anyway.

Both the intruders were wearing complete black uniforms, a mask covering their faces, with only two holes for their eyes, and one for their mouths.

\- "Who send you?" Rikku asked, putting some pressure on the woman's neck with the broken bottle. "I'm not going to ask twice."

\- "A man you should pray you'll never met", she answered, distilling all the horror she could in her voice.

\- "Wow, scary stuff. Did you practice that sentence in a mirror or something?" Gippal sarcastically said, failing to be impressed.

\- "You have no idea what's coming, fool!"

Rikku made her spin again, so she was directly looking into her enraged eyes:

\- "Now you listen to me, and you listen close. You go run back to your little boss, and you tell him that two legendary guardians and the high Summoner who defeated Sin forever, two ex-members of the Crimson Squad and an ex Crusader are waiting to kick his little bitch ass."

She turned her head towards Gippal:

\- "Anything to add?"

\- "No, no I think you said it all." He replied with an impressed upside-down smile, both his palms up.

\- "Alright. I'm going to release you now. You grab your little partner and you get _the hell_ out of here. And you better hope we never see either of you again. We won't be as merciful next time. Are we _clear_?"

The woman nodded, grimacing under the fierce grasp of Rikku. She let her go, and the intruder fell to the ground. She grabbed her companion by both his arms and disappeared with him. Rikku imagined her running off into the night like a scared kitty, its tail between its legs.

\- "What?" She snapped at Gippal who hadn't stopped looking at her. She knew he was hitching to make fun of her, so he might as well get on with it.

\- "I'm just… So turned on right now." He let out, bewildered.

She punched his arm, and she burst into laughter, letting the steam out. He followed, falling back into a chair behind him.

\- "Maaan." He said, his hands over his face. "That was intense. Where do those creepy disappearing people come from?"

Rikku shrugged and shook her head, equally worried. They had to tell the others about this.

As they went back to their rooms, Gippal stopped in front of her, leaning the side of his body against her doorframe:

\- "Can I sleep with you? You know, I might have another nightmare…" He said with his best puppy dog eye look.

\- "Good night, Gippal." She said, rolling her eyes at him. But he noticed she was trying to suppress a smile.

And she slammed the door in his face.

\- "'Night partner!" He yelled across the door.

Progress, he thought as he nodded for himself, going back to his room. Progress.

* * *

On the next day, the team walked slowly, wary of ever noise. Knowing the enemy could be anywhere without them seeing it made it very nerve-racking for everyone. And adding that to the fact that the thunder kept falling at their feet, threatening and growling, they all couldn't wait to get out of here.

Yuna and Tidus were walking ahead, hand in hand. They seemed to have no problem stating loud and clear their relationship anymore. Rikku was glad! She was walking with Gippal, who hadn't said much to her since they awoke. The memory of their bodies clasped together appeared in her mind, and she shook her head, shaking the memory away. Gippal threw her a look, amused. He would have given everything to know what she was thinking. Although he hoped he could guess.

O'aka followed, too scared to open the march. He kept a low profile with them, especially since Rikku and Gippal had told the team about their little encounter last night. He shivered, not wanting to think what would have happened if they hadn't been awake at that time. He would probably be at the horrifying man's lair by now. He had decided: he was done with doing business with anyone for a _long_ _while_. Digging at Bikanel didn't seem so bad.

Nooj and Lucil closed the march, often turning back to make sure they didn't catch anything abnormal.

No one talked, really. They had decided they would stop in Macalania's woods to evaluate the situation and come up with a plan.


	10. Chapter 9 - Bonecrave

**Chapter 9 – Bonecrave**

 **Ninth stop: Macalania Woods**

\- "Tell us what you know about this guy", Lucil firmly asked O'aka, as she planted her katana on the ground and sat next to it.

Now, it wasn't just O'aka's problem anymore. They needed to know what they were going to be battling against. The team sat in circle, deep inside Macalania's woods. Just to be sure no one would spy or attack them, Yuna had secured the area with deep, heavy protective spells. They were safe for now.

\- "I… I'm not sure." The merchant started. "I only talked to one of the guys working for him. But I had heard rumors about him… He wasn't that scary when I decided to collaborate with him. I thought he was just a "simple" mafia guy… But now… Now people are saying he plans to take Spira over. "

Rikku gasped, suddenly putting two and two together. She brought her hands to her face, slowly freaking out.

\- "Poopies! Don't tell me I just threatened _Bonecrave_ yesterday?!"

O'aka hesitated, and finally nodded, looking down. She hit her forehead with the palm of her hand. What an idiot! As time passed, though, she thought more about it, and remembered who she was, and who she was with. She was 1/7 of the reason why Sin was forever gone. Oh well, she accepted it. They would take him down either way. Gippal looked at her, amusingly following the versatility of emotions displayed on her face, one after the other. She had gone from worry, to sorrow, to anger, to reflection to finally reach acceptance. The five stages in under one minute, that had to be a record.

\- "Erm, sorry guys, who's that exactly?" Tidus wondered, lost. He was used to having to ask the questions around here.

\- "Bonecrave. People are just starting to really talk about him as a serious threat. He is a kind of mafia leader, but he didn't seem that dangerous. Elma has reported him messing with our missions a few times now. We were handling it, but a while ago he suddenly revealed he was way more powerful than we had thought up until then. And then he disappeared from sight. I was hoping to investigate on him as we journeyed together." Nooj admitted. "I should have known it was him when you refused to tell us who he was."

\- "How comes you've heard of him, Rikku?" Yuna asked, keeping her calm and composure.

\- "I've travelled a lot lately, and I heard stories… God I hope they're not true."

\- "What stories?" Gippal asked, curious. He was still playing with the handle of his sword. It seemed to distract and calm him.

Rikku scratched her head, trying to remember what she had heard. But it wasn't hard really. It was the kind of ghost stories that would stay with you. The kind you would remember when you went to sleep at night, alone in the dark.

\- "That he feeds on people's thoughts and souls, that's how he gets stronger. Supposedly he can read people's mind… And obviously, he must be an unsent."

\- "Then it's my job to send him!" Yuna said as she grasped her staff stronger. She had had that same fire burning in her eyes when she had vowed to destroy Sin.

Tidus sighed, but he agreed. If some crazy man was threatening to disturb Spira's calm and positive Spiral, then it was their jobs to stop him and protect this world… Again.

\- "Easy tiger, we don't even know where to find this guy. Rikku, any ideas on that?" Gippal asked.

\- "Hmm… I'm not sure. Obviously, he must have one of those cliché creepy lairs deep in a cave or something…"

\- "I think Elma mentioned she had heard of some alarming noises coming from the Cave of the Stolen Fayth. Maybe we should go there first", Lucil offered.

\- "That's a good idea," Nooj agreed. "For now, I don't think we can do much. We simply don't know enough. Lucil and I will try to contact Elma, see if we can find out anything else. O'aka, you're coming with us. In the meantime, stay within the area. We'll come back soon."

\- "Don't worry Nooji! We still have our watches!" Rikku said, gesturing him the silver bracelet around her wrist.

Nooj looked at her strangely, and walked away with Lucil and O'aka without saying another word.

\- "What? Is it because I said "Nooji"? …I know… I regretted it as soon as it was out of my mouth…"

It had reminded them of how a certain crazy blond used to nickname Nooj. It was not a pleasant memory. Yuna, Gippal and Tidus laughed. They needed something to get their minds off all that heavy talk.

\- "Any of you got his swimsuit?" Tidus asked, bringing his forearm up, fist clenched.

* * *

\- "The water is colder than I remembered." Yuna commented as she flew pass Tidus, lazily swimming on her back.

\- "That's because I was there to warm you up!" He said playfully.

She let out a small laugh, smiling at the memory. This is where they had shared their very first kiss. And their second… And … Let's just say they had made the most out of this stolen moment, just the two of them.

Rikku and Gippal had declined the invitation, saying they'd rather take a nap, given that they had been up all night. Yuna felt like they should be training for what was to come, but she had decided, much to Tidus' amazement, to allow herself to let loose first. They had all day to train and to think this through. And it wasn't the first threat they stopped from destroying Spira. Compared to Sin and even to Vegnagun, this guy was _nothing_. It was going to be a piece of cake for them.

\- "It's so weird. I never thought we would be back here, almost three years later. Or at least that I…"

Tidus surprised her, splashing around. He interrupted her gloomy thoughts and dragged her in his arms, carrying her like a floating princess. He kissed her forehead, gently turning and turning again on the clear surface of the lake.

Its atmosphere was so different from how it was during the nighttime, but it was equally beautiful. Even without the blue veil of the night, the cerulean and sapphire colors of the place still prevailed.

A shower of lights was pouring down around them, singing over and over again this delicate note, like hundreds of crystals breaking, that echoed around the area. The particles were coming from the way up, dismissed by the waters and carried out by the wind. The Sun's rays seemed to make the little silver pieces shine even brighter. It was a cloudless blue sky, contrasting with the dark, powerful one they were still walking under a few hours ago. Everything seemed tranquil and out of time here.

Big broad trees surrounded them, their braided silver-brown trunks descending into the profoundness of the lake, their feet taking roots at its very base. A few turquoise crystals seemed to have bloomed here and there, some coming out of the water, some shining far below.

Yuna stretched, eyes closed. She felt so comfortable in his arms. He looked at her, moved by how relaxed she was. They went on like this for a long time, when he suddenly threw her away from him, deep into the lake.

\- "Heeeey!" She protested, her head gracefully coming out of the clear water. "What'd you do that for?"

\- "No reason." He said with his broadest grin and disappeared in the depths of the lake as he smoothly dove.

\- "You get back here right now!" She said in a laugh, diving right after him.

Yuna could stay underwater for 2 minutes and 41 seconds. It wasn't much, but it was enough. Enough to kick Tidus' ass.

* * *

\- "Hello Elma, how are things back at camp?"

\- "Things are great! Everything's under control."

Nooj and Lucil were studying Elma's face on the little watch Gippal had fashioned for them. She was standing on Nooj's office, inside of the big hut. It had only been a few days since they had parted, and yet it felt like much longer. Nooj suddenly realized he missed his Youth League partners, as he liked to call them. It was his home.

\- "Say, we wanted to ask you something," Lucil went on. "What do you know about a man that calls himself Bonecrave?"

Elma fell silent for a minute. She hadn't heard that name in a while and had hoped he was finally gone.

\- "Why do you ask?" She replied carefully.

\- "He may be after us. Or us after him. The situation is a bit unclear so far."

Elma tried not to panic, but her concern for her friend showed on her face.

\- "I-I don't know much, really. It mainly what I've heard about him. So to distinguish the fake from the truth is hard…"

\- "What do you know?" Nooj asked again, a tad more firmly, though not unkindly.

\- "He has been forming an army and growing stronger for quite some time now. A witch around the Calm Lands told me he may have started appearing right after Sin was destroyed. I don't know how she would know, really, so don't believe everything I'm telling you but…"

\- "What else did she tell you?" Nooj insisted, wanting to know everything he could about this guy.

\- "She said something strange about him not being "just one person", whatever that means. That woman didn't seem very together, if you ask me. I wouldn't worry too much about what she said."

\- "Thank you, Elma," Nooj nodded. "Anything else?"

\- "Hmm… Not that I can recall right now. I will think some more about it and contact you if anything important comes back to me, is that alright?"

\- "Perfect! Thank you, Elma." Lucil replied, smiling warmly at her friend and second.

\- "And, you guys be careful, ok?"

\- "We will!" Nooj promised before ending the call.

They turned to O'aka, who had been listening to the entire conversation. He seemed more and more worried.

\- "Did anything of what she said reminded you of something?" Lucil asked.

\- "I'm not sure… Maybe more the location. I think he probably is down at the Calm Lands. You know, in the Cave of the Stolen Fayth, like you said. "

\- "That's awfully close to Clasko." Lucil thought at loud, worried about her friend.

Nooj had been silent this whole time, thinking about what to do next. It wasn't that clearly stated, but he could feel that everybody on the team waited for his decision. He knew what do to.

\- "Let's go meet the others."

* * *

It was settled. They would go meet Baralai in Bevelle. And then they would continue the road towards the Calm Lands—a strange name for a place that always seemed to host such dark secrets—and find this Bonecrave. Nooj had already contacted him, letting him briefly know of the situation. He was away on duty, but he would be back to welcome them on the morning.

\- "So, what do we do now?" Rikku asked, lazily playing with her hair.

\- "For now, we wait. It's no use going to Bevelle, Baralai isn't there yet. And, thanks to Yuna's spells, we are safe here."

Rikku thought it was great news—she hadn't been able to sleep, and she didn't feel awake enough to talk about a plan to destroy yet another psychopath threatening the well-being of Spira. Plus, she loved the atmosphere here in Macalania's woods.

Yuna, Tidus, Rikku and Gippal decided to go train. They wanted to practice their senses, outside of their sight, to be able to detect the enemy better. They would go in turns: Rikku, Tidus and Gippal would hide their eyes—Rikku moved her blue handband downer, and Gippal hid his second eye with his with a piece of clothing, same as Tidus—and Yuna would randomly cast object around them, which they had to detect and destroy. It seemed easy enough in theory, but it was not.

The background noise in itself was enough to throw them off balance. Had that been an object just then, or just the mere wind? Rikku's head turned from side to side, wishing she could see through her handband. She would just randomly throw her arms up and to her sides, so much so Tidus and Gippal had to move away from her, fearing for their lives. When she moved the handband away from her eyes, she found the pair of them staring, a wary look on their eyes. She smiled apologetically, and they went on with the training. Man, she hoped she would never turn blind. Both for her sake and everybody else's.

Tidus was doing a far better job with the little game. Yuna thought he was cheating at first, which they almost argued about—how could she think he was a cheater? There was no use of winning if it didn't come from his efforts—but quickly let it go. As soon as Yuna threw an object his way, he could sense the vibration of the air and, probably partly thanks to his great blitzball player reflexes, he would smash the thing down with his fist. Yuna admitted it was a bit of a turn on, seeing him this good. Although she would never tell him—how embarrassing.

But the best out of the three was probably Gippal. Partly blind already, any object that would come, near or far, around his right side would be instantly destroyed into tiny pieces scattered on the ground. He missed a few on his left one, but overall, he was very good, and ready to find and put where it could do no harm whatever shadow who'd come his way.

Then came Yuna's turn, along with Rikku, who wanted to go again and practice. Tidus and Gippal gathered some pine cone and branches for around them.

It came as no surprise that Yuna would be great at this. Her summoner's skills meant she could perceive, way above average, any disturbance, however minuscule it might be, in the air, water, or ground. She could feel the pyreflies before anyone else would, and interact with them, so detecting pine cones or branches flying her way was a piece of cake. And to top it all off, she would move any object coming her way with her usual grace and calmness. Her movements reminded Tidus of the Sending she had done in Killika. Gippal gave him a nudge then, mockingly telling him to stop drooling on his girlfriend. He hated happy couples.

Rikku was slowly getting better. She had managed to calm down a bit—thanks to Yunie's advice—and had stopped doing so many unnecessary movements. Instead, she would breathe in, and try to focus before moving. After a few try out, she had become quite good. Her biggest strength was her speed. So, as soon as she'd began focusing it in the right places, she realized she was a natural too. After all, she had actually succeeded in detecting the shadow the day before, and this without any training beforehand.

* * *

After a few hours of training, they finally took a break. The four of them were hanging out near the lake, their feet by the water.

\- "I'm exhausted," Rikku let out, letting gravity reclaim its pull on her body, now completely lying on the ground.

\- "Same here," Tidus admitted, letting his head rest on Yuna's shoulder. She dropped hers on his and slowly nodded, silently agreeing.

\- "I'm not!" Gippal said a bit too strongly, almost making them jump. "I could have done this all day!"

What a show-off, Rikku thought as she rolled her eyes. She looked up at him, moving her head back a bit. He was proudly standing behind her, his arms crossed on his powerful chest.

\- "Anyone fancy a swim?" He said.

Before they could reply, he was already running like a mad man towards the clear water. He jumped with all his weight. As his body came in contact with the lake, it formed a powerful explosion, water bursting out of the lake and raining down on his three teammates. A few waves smashed against the shore, marks of his passing.

Seconds later, Gippal's head emerged from the lake, nose first. He threw his blond hair back, in a smooth shampoo commercial movement and beamed at them. To say they didn't look happy was an understatement.

If Gippal had to describe in the best way his friends' state, he would say they could easily be mistaken for three damped cats, their fluffy fur soaking wet and sticking to their pinkish skins, the fire of a resolved hatred shining in their eyes.

\- "And now, you don't even have to actually go swimming to enjoy the properties of this great Macalania water!" He said, admiring his hand shaped like a cup, full of water. "You're welcome, you guys!"

The three damped cat looked at each other, a same idea passing through them. If that man had a death wish, fine. They were not ones to ignore such incentives.

* * *

\- "Come on Yunie! Get him!" Rikku cheered for her cousin.

Yuna was moving fast, swimming across the surface of the lake. She was sprinting towards Tidus, who was getting away with a ball in hand. The fact that he was her boyfriend didn't make her any more considerate as she tackled him. She was here to win. Unfortunately, the man who had once been the start player of the Zanarkand Abes wasn't having it. He knew well how to Slip from the tackles, and he kept his ball. He swiftly moved passed her, but she kept going after him.

They were playing Bitzball: Girls against boys. It was supposedly a friendly match, but Gippal had placed a bet: the winners would get to pick from the other team's members their own personal slave for the next two days. Of course, everyone's potential choice was pretty obvious, especially after Gippal had winked pretty heavily in Rikku's direction. And Tidus wasn't going to pick Rikku, nor would Yuna choose Gippal. But in all fairness, he had preferred to give them the illusion of free choice.

O'aka was there as their arbitrator, while Lucil and Nooj were busy trying to fix some last minute Youth League crisis with Elma. It was already late afternoon, and the sun was setting around them. The orange veil casted on the surface of the lake, mixed with the sound of their laugher echoing within the area gave them a sense of joyful eternity and content.

Tidus was sprinting across the lake, towards Rikku who was protecting the goal. Tidus was going to mark over her dead body, and even then, her spirits would still be fighting to prevent him. Just as Tidus was about to jump to start his famous Jecht Shot—or rather, his late father's—Yuna tackled again and stole the ball. Gippal on her feet, she swam as fast as she could, diving to avoid both of the boys now chasing her.

\- "Gooo Yunie! The second time's the charm! You can do itttt!"

She flew in direction of the goal—that consisted of a space between two trees Gippal was fiercly guarding. She was going to do it. Yes. She could do it. No way she was going to lose. Gippal was on her right side, about to tackle. She jumped out of the water and threw the ball to Rikku, now out of the goal and halfway through their improvised stadium. Tidus stayed on Yuna, while Gippal swam towards her blond teammate.

He was gaining ground, but at the very last minute, Rikku jumped as high as she could and threw a Whiter pass to Yuna. Gippal touched it, but failed to stop it, and the substance on the pass weakened him somewhat. Because of Gippal's intervention, the trajectory of the blue bliztball changed, and Tidus was suddenly in the perfect range to catch it. But Yuna nudged him and barely managed to grab it with the tip of her fingers. Without stopping to think about it—Gippal was out of the goal, it was the perfect opportunity—she threw the blue blitzball out of her hand and into the tree hole.

O'aka whistled, confirming the goal. His left arm was raised, one finger pointing towards the girls. Everyone went back to their positions. Rikku and Yuna high-fived, psyched. Gippal eyed him, suspicious. He was sure the guy was letting his girlfriend win. That was not fair. Gippal demanded that Tidus and him exchanged roles, as he thought Tidus was purposively letting Yuna win. Tidus accepted, although he pointed out that the girls had placed a goal while he hadn't been protecting it, and not because of Tidus's doing.

\- "Guys, don't fight, it's just a friendly game!" Yuna said, laughing at the two men bickering.

\- "We're not fighting!" Both blond male protested in one same voice.

\- "Merely talking strategy and how to improves ourselves." Tidus added, his arms proudly crossing over his chest.

\- "Something that you unprofessional ladies couldn't possibly understand," Gippal confirmed, nodding.

Rikku and Yuna looked at each other, sighting. Boys will be boys, they both guessed. Although they chose to let it slide. They thought the score of the game spoke plenty enough for them both.

Actually thinking they had a shot at winning, the two ladies were now fully energized. Gippal had the ball, but not for long. He was already slower because of Rikku's fierce pass when Yuna sprinted towards him and tackled him, stealing the ball. Before he could do anything about it, she was long gone, diving towards the bottom of the lake. She kept slipping through his fingers just when he was about to tackle.

She looked at her watch—the four of them had synchronized their devices as they started the game, setting a 5-minute chronometer—37 seconds left. Yuna wasn't sure how she was going to mark, so for now, she focused on losing time. And she could stay underwater for 2 minutes 44 seconds—Tidus had been truly impressed about that earlier—so Gippal couldn't possibly keep up. She took the opportunity to admire the blue crystals, abundant all around her down here. After all, they only had to prevent them from marking any points.

Gippal saw clear in her little game, and he wasn't happy about it. As Yuna was peacefully diving, admiring the crystal's lights at the bottom of the lake, he surprised her from behind and stole her the ball. Unfortunately for him, as he sprinted across the lake, trying to reach Rikku's tree, O'aka whistled, marking the half time.

\- "She was wasting time just then! That's totally cheating!"

\- "Actually," Tidus started, "it's kinda frowned upon, but a lot of blitzball players use that technique. It's fair game."

\- "God, could you be any more whipped to your girlfriend?" Gippal sighed, although he laughed and shook his head.

During the second half of the game, Yuna and Rikku exchanged positions. Gippal tried his hardest to mark a goal, but the ladies' defense was unbreakable. Rikku briefly tried to place a goal, but Tidus was guarding those two trees with all he had, and they had already won, anyway. They mainly focused on their defense. During the last minute though, Gippal dashed on the surface of the water, the ball in hand, and made his way across the lake. Rikku tried to stop him, but he avoided all her attempts to block and tackle him. He was all fired up. If he managed to mark the goal, they would have some overtime, and then Tidus and him had a chance to win. No way he was going to be Rikku's slave—had he known them loosing was a possibility, he never would have risked it. Wasn't Tidus supposed to be very good at this game?

Gippal gave it is all. He dove, the ball still in hand and avoided any attack the ladies threw his way. 30 seconds left. He could do this! The blond stood as close to the goal as he could, Rikku right after him. She blocked him the way but as she tackled, he resisted, guarding the blue ball close to his heart. He threw it as hard as he could, and the ball flew in the air. The fate of the game rested into that last action. Everyone followed its path, each of them worried—whether it be for the goal to work out or to fail. Yuna was ready to greet it, her hands up, but the ball was flying towards her left side. Was it going to pass?

As it arrived, she jumped to stop it, but it moved even leftier, about to enter the premiscise of the goal… When she jerked her left shoulder and moved it away from the goal. The ball fell down, bouncing a few time on the surface of the water.

Tiiiiime. O'aka whistled. The boys had lost. Rikku looked at Gippal and winked, smiling broadly. Boy, was she going to enjoy the next two days

\- "Nooooooooooooooo!" Gippal yelled in desperation, his head in his hands.

He always had a tendency to exaggerate, that man had.

\- "Just checking, there's no way we can drop that bet, right…?"

Rikku and Yuna shared a knowing look, and shook their heads, both on the verge of laugher.

\- "Rules are ruuules!" Rikku said in a sing-song voice, as she lied on her back, floating around in the water.

\- "But that's not fair! Tidus doesn't even care to be Yuna's slave, he's completely whipped anyway!"

\- "Heeeey!" Tidus reacted, although he didn't deny it.

\- "You made your bed, big boy!"

Rikku looked at Gippal and winked while smiling broadly. Boy, was she going to enjoy the next two days.


	11. Chapter 10 - Shit getting real

**Chapter 10 – Shit getting real**

\- "Oh my Queen Rikku, please do wake up." Gippal sighed while poking her arm, a resigned look painted across his face.

That's how he was going to have to address her during the next two days, as she had instructed. Should he forget, he would be punished accordingly. He already hated that stupid bet, and it had just begun. The worst part was, it had been his idea. He glanced at Tidus who was giving out his hand to Yuna, helping her hop off the branch she was just sleeping on. They weren't even doing the bet. Yuna didn't ask anything weird or embarrassing out of Tidus—that wasn't fair!

\- "Aaaah!" Rikku unceremoniously let out as she stretched. "Thank you, dear slave", she added as she gently patted Gippal on the head.

As soon as the team got out of their shelter, they met with three soldiers, guarding Bevelle's entrance. They bowed to them, expressing their respect:

\- "It is an honor to escort you all to Bevelle", the one in charge said as he opened the march.

Rikku was impressed. She wasn't used to being treated with such respect. She nudged Gippal's arm, and nodded towards the guard. She wanted him to know that it was the kind of respect she expected from him, too. Gippal rolled his eyes. That girl was so annoying.

* * *

 **Tenth stop: Bevelle**

The city of Bevelle, birth town of Yuna, the largest city in Spira and once the axis of the Yevon theocracy, stood before them.

The red and white city had always managed to intrigue Tidus. In some ways, it looked like Zanarkand, in size and surface—not to mention they used machinas as well, even though they used to condemn anyone who would—but in others, it was its opposite. It had been its rival, its war opponent and caused its destruction, all those years ago. Yet Tidus was only curious about it now. How was the New Yevon religion working out? After the Spirans had discovered the treachery of the religion, how could one still believe in anything bearing a similar name?

\- "St. Bevelle for ya", Gippal started, as they reached the gates.

The guards murmured something into their sleeves—they had microphones—and the heavy, red doors slowly opened, unveiling the city before their very eyes.

The streets were very large, allowing the multitude of people walking around to do so without bumping into one another. Everything seemed to be decorated the same: in red and white, with big, protective walls circling the city. Lots of hut-shaped buildings lay here and there. Tidus spotted many people dressed in priest and priestess outfits, yet many people looked like mere civilians, like them.

He was busy trying to decide if that building next to him was a house or a temple, when Yuna dragged him by the arms and they reached the huge doors of the temple.

\- "Baralai is a bit late, but he should be here soon enough".

The voice had sprung behind their backs, and as they turned, Yuna and Rikku was psyched to recognize their friend. She was tall, with short grayish spiky hair and red eyes. The woman was dressed in black, from head to bottom, and seemed pretty bored, or annoyed, Tidus wasn't sure.

\- "Paine! You're here!"

\- "How have you been?" Yuna asked.

Nooj and Gippal came to greet her too, and he was left with Lucil, staying in the background. He didn't know why exactly, but that woman didn't look like a trustworthy person to him. Now he could be wrong, but seeing how cold and guarded she was, along with what Yuna had told him about her and what he had seen from her sphere, he decided to stay alert with her, at least at first. Someone who refused to share their secrets, even to their true friends weren't, in his opinion, the best kind of people.

\- "Oh my little slaaaave? I'm feeling a bit tired of walking, I want you to carry me now."

\- "Are you fucking kidding me Rikku?"

They were finally done with their meeting with Baralai. Much to Tidus' surprise, the man was nicer and warmer than you'd expect a high priest to be. He had given them additional information about Bonecrave. But, as much as he wanted to come along with them on their journey, people here needed him to stay. Less and less people were believing, and he wanted to be their light, to inspire them and bring their faith back to them.

Still, he had told them they were more than welcome to spend the day here, as Nooj and him had to settle some things. Gippal stayed at first, but he wasn't really needed. They both had asked him to go ask question to people in Bevelle, to find out what they needed. Although things were slowly getting better, The New Yevon and Youth League's view of things always diverged so, making it hard for its two leaders to decide and stick with a commune decision. Gippal had caught back with Tidus, Yuna and Rikku who were casually walking around the city. But now, he was starting to regret his decision to leave the meeting.

\- "Hey hey now. A bet's a bet!" She replied in a light sing-song voice. "And it's Queen Rikku for ya!"

Rolling his eyes, Gippal bent over, circling her back with one arm, and the back of her legs with the other. Tidus laughed, but abruptly stopped as Gippal shot him a dirty look. He shrugged, smiling to himself and looked at Yuna

\- "Good thing you're nicer..." He said to Yuna, nodding in Rikku's direction.

\- "Actually, that's a good idea. I am a bit tired too. Carry me?" She said innocently as she gave him a light kiss, to ease the pain of her treachery.

It was Gippal's turn to laugh, especially as he caught Tidus' betrayed expression painted on his face. But he shook his head and sighed, quickly empathizing.

\- "What did we do to deserve this, man?"

\- "It's simple actually! You lost to us at Bliztball!" Rikku replied to his rhetorical question, deliberately rubbing salt in Gippal's already painful wound.

Tidus shrugged again, as he let out an amused sight and slowly proceeded to grant his girlfriend's wish.

\- "You know you're going to pay for this soon, right?" Gippal asked Rikku.

\- "Looking forward to it, big boy!" She said as she winked, stretching and letting out a pleasant sight.

There didn't seem to be a lot to do in the city, but the four of them were good just strolling across it, talking randomly about everything and nothing. It seemed a bit cliché, but it was as if all people here really did was praying and teaching their beliefs to others. They were entirely living for their religion. Tidus wasn't sure if he thought it was good or bad. Probably neither, he concluded. If they were happy that way, why ever not? He couldn't see himself doing that, but as long as they didn't plan on coming up with another Sin, he would gladly let them pray and practice New Yevon in peace.

They talked about how weird it was to find Paine here with Baralai—Rikku thought something was going on between them, but everyone else disagreed. Then again, she would always think Paine had something going on with either Nooj, Baralai or even Gippal, at first. Yuna was surprised how calm—Gippal's word for it was "boring"—Bevelle was, since in her faded child's memories of the city, it had so much more life, animation and heart. Then again, she wasn't sure, she had left the city at such a young age. What she mostly thought of was the incredible party they threw after her father, Lord Braska, had defeated Sin and brought another Calm.

Basically, the city seemed to have lost so much of its importance, which was logical, really. That brought them to think that Spira needed a city to represent the united power, a sort of capital for the world, where Gippal, Nooj and Baralai would be equal rulers, all in this one place. Bevelle was clearly out, because of its antecedents. Many older people, the majority who still believed in Yu Yevon, had decided to stay here and keep on praying. But to the rest of the world, this city was like a reminder of all the evil and secrecy the religion had brought them. It wasn't fitting for a capital. They needed a fresh new place.

As they approached a small shop, selling armor and shields, Gippal dropped Rikku to the ground. It was so unexpected, for a second Rikku wasn't sure he had done it on purpose. But it was Gippal, after all.

\- "Uups." He said flatly, not feeling sorry at all.

\- "Aouch!" Rikku whined as she scratched the back of her head and her butt, where she had taken the hit. "That's a very bad slave! Very bad! You're going to do twenty sit ups".

Tidus and Yuna stood there, admiring the scene. The brunette was back on her own two feet, her hand in his. They knew better than to meddle by now. Rikku jumped back up, a bit annoyed but mostly amused. She was so small compared to Gippal, seeing her order him around was funny to watch—but they both knew he didn't need to lose a bet for her to do so.

\- "Between each of them", she continued, "I want you to say: I'm deeply sorry I dropped you, oh my queen Rikku."

Gippal rolled his eyes, but he complied. He had it coming, really. But it was totally worth it. He could do twenty sit-ups, no problem. As he started to do the first one, though, she sat on his back, adding some weight.

\- "Oh come on Rikks, why you gotta be so cruel?"

\- "That's just the beginning big boy!"

Tidus and Yuna looked at each other, both starting to feel sorry for Gippal. As Tidus caught her amused expression, he grew wary and moved further away from her.

\- "Don't even try to get me to do anything like this", Tidus warned her, an accusing finger pointed in her direction.

\- "I wasn't going to!" She laughed. She threw her arms around his neck and went on. "Besides, I think what Gippal said yesterday is right. I don't need you to be my slave. You already do whatever I tell you to."

\- "Oh really? Is that so?" Tidus let out in a chocked laugh, as Yuna kept on nodding, her nose against his, on the verge of laugher.

He abruptly took her in his arms again, startling her. She wasn't sure what he had in mind until she saw a fountain. He was heading towards it, as she laughed and fought to get out of his grasp.

\- "Oh don't you dare! Don't do it! Doooon't!"

\- "You still think I'm whipped?" Tidus asked, as he held her just above the running waters. Some drops were already jumping out of the fish-shaped statue and crushing on her rosy cheeks.

\- "Yes! Yes! I still think you are", she bravely stood her ground as she closed her eyes, preparing herself for an unnecessary bath.

One second flew by, followed by another. As nothing came, she opened one wary eye and looked at him, puzzled.

\- "Yeah", he slowly let out, breathing out. "I am totally and utterly whipped to you, Yuna."

And he kissed her passionately, hungrily capturing her mouth. She laughed against his lips, both relieved and amused by the unexpected turnaround. She moved away from his kiss to whisper against his lips.

\- "Good. I like you whipped."

\- "You do?"

\- "I do", she nodded in a small laugh, her sweet creases under her eyes.

Gippal and Rikku looked at them, a disgusted expression on their faces. He was in the middle of a sit-up, Rikku still on his back.

\- "How disgustingly cute are they?"

\- "I know right? I'm puking rainbows."

\- "Yeah, it's… too much." Gippal concluded, looking away.

Both lingered in a beat too long, envious although they refused to admit it. Gippal was always so mean to her. Why couldn't she find herself a guy who would treat her nicer? Rikku was always so mean to him. And he loved it, but he wouldn't have minded a bit of warmth sometimes.

\- "Come on, slave! Fifteen more to go!"

\- "I am sorry I dropped you…" He said as he bent down his arms, getting closer to the ground.

\- "Oh my…?"

\- "Oh my Queen Rikku." He rolled his eyes, annoyed.

\- "Good booooy!"

* * *

\- "You can't possibly think this is actually a good idea!"

Gippal let down his fork and rolled his eyes. He was needed again, to bring some peace between Nooj and Baralai. He should have stayed with them during the afternoon, as they still didn't seem to agree on anything. Yes, the New Yevon and the Youth League followers had finally reached a point where they both wanted to understand each other and work in harmony. But their leaders? At times, Gippal wasn't sure.

Apparently, they hadn't really reached any decision during the afternoon, as they kept going back and forth on the same subjects. During the rest of the meal, Yuna, Tidus and Gippal played negociators, trying to defend each of the two's opinions of things, while Rikku chatted with Paine and Lucil. The grey-haired lady always seemed to have such admiration for Lucil, and was happy to have the chance to talk to her. O'aka joined their conversation too, but he didn't have much to say, so he mainly nodded and listened. It was true that Lucil was such a strong woman, a true role model. As she spoke, all three of them were hanging on her every words.

\- "You know, as I usually say, where there's a will, there's a way."

\- "And do you think there's a way, for those two hardheaded over there?" Rikku asked, indicating Nooj and Baralai arguing with a nod from her head.

Lucil looked at them as she drank some water, and smiled fondly.

\- "Hey, at least they're communicating now. They'll get there eventually, I'm sure of it."

* * *

Finally, after diner, some compromise had been made, thanks mostly to Yuna. The team decided to get going right away, and not stay the night, although Baralai had offered. Some guards at least escorted them to the Calm Lands, and left them at the Al-Bhed travel agency.

\- "Should we camp out? We're not going to walk all night, are we?" Rikku asked, growing worried.

Plus, if they were to check out the Cave of the Hidden Fayth, she would much rather do it during the daytime. This place was creepy either way.

\- "I called up Clasko", Lucil said, gesturing to her watch. The Commsphere system Shinra had started while on board of the Gullwings ship had really improved, thanks to Gippal's help, and now Clasko had one of those at the entrance of its Ranch. It was really usefull for his business. "He said he only has two chocobos available now anyway. Might have a third and fourth one if we wait for tomorrow morning."

\- "Alright then, we'll wait." Nooj decided, planting his sword and sitting down.

* * *

\- "Yuna you start!"

\- "Ok, let me think… Never have I ever... Flown from a fight!"

\- "Oh Yuniiiie"

\- "Everyone has, that's not fair!"

\- "That's the point! ". She replied in a dazzling, innocent smile.

They had decided to camp out. Fortunately, the Al-Bhed working at the Calm Lands shop sold tents and blankets. They had been lucky enough to arrive there just as she was about to take her Hover home. They had spent the first half-hour trying to figure out how to plant the tents—for people who had travelled so much, they sure were struggling. Nooj was sure it was the tents' problem: they were too complicated, too Al-Bhedi.

But that's why they had Gippal and Rikku. After looking at them struggling without doing anything, the rest of the team grew finally so desperate they had asked for their help. Five minutes later, they were all set. Funny enough, Gippal hadn't gloated that much. Rikku, on the other hand, had gone on and on about how the Al-Bhed were amazing people full of great inventions and she was glad that people were finally starting to realize their potential. They were tough and proud people, people who could survive anywhere, with anything. They didn't fear the desert, or the cold, or the wind… But did fear lightning, Gippal playfully had added, putting a hand in front of his mouth, fake sorry, after she shot him a resentful glare.

That's when O'aka had offer they'd do a _Never have I ever_ , saying he'd love to get to know all his travelling buddies better. But in reality, he had been dying to taste that bottle since Baralai had given it to them as a parting gift. It looked delicious, and he hadn't had the Gils to buy alcohol in so long. He couldn't miss out on an opportunity like that!

They sat, all eight of them—Paine had decided she would accompany them, after all, she needed herself some good ol' ass kicking—in circle, around a campfire. Paine had sarcastically added that all they were missing now were the ukulele and the horror stories. Not to mention the pillow fight they had to do between girlfriends, later.

\- "Oh lighten up, Paine! You know you are having fun!" Rikku said, nudging her. She could be such a pain, pun definitely intended, but the Al-Bhed was glad she was back with them.

\- "Of course she is. With great people like us? Please." Gippal smiled at Paine, a silent message passing through them.

The four of them, along with Baralai and Nooj were old buddies, all linked together by a dark past. But now that some time had passed, he really felt like they could grow close again. He was happy to be working with Baralai and Nooj, although he sometimes felt like the pacificator of the three, relentlessly trying to get his two friends to agree on something. But Paine was a part of the team, and he realized now that he kinda missed her, too. She was a good pal and, behind her sarcastic-too-cool-for-school attitude was a really nice, insecure girl, who just wanted to belong. Paine smiled at him, nodding, and Gippal turned his gaze back at the campfire.

\- "Ok my turn! Never have I ever... Shot my friends in the back. Sorry Nooj, you had that one coming for ya." Gippal said as he winked to his friend.

The taciturn shrugged, amusingly annoyed. Apparently it was ok to laugh about that regretful incident now. He quickly glanced at Paine, who looked at him encouragingly, silently letting him know that it was indeed all in the past now. They knew it hadn't been his fault.

\- "Paine?" Yuna asked, letting her ex-teammate know it was her turn, if she wanted. But no pressure, as always.

\- "Alright, alright, I'll do one. Never have I ever... Sang in front of a large audience. Sorry Yuna", Paine said as she smiled at her. "Drink up!"

\- "I still can't believe I did it myself..." The high Summoner said as she shook her head, laughing for herself.

In the midst of her adventures, and partly because of the strange link that had formed between her and Lenne, the original wearer of her singer dressphere, she had actually sang twice for Spira. She was feeling liberated, she wanted to try new things, and so it had seemed like a good idea at the time. Now though, as she had had time to reflect, she couldn't understand why she had willingly decided to do such a thing. She didn't regret it either, it had been fun after all, but were she given the option to make the decision again, she wasn't sure she would have sung.

It was Lucil's turn. The red-haired girl thought about it a moment, and then she said:

\- "Never have I have ever... Saved Spira from a terrible fate."

Everyone drank except O'aka, who looked from his left to his right, suddenly feeling unimportant. He was both glad, because he could sleep soundly, with such people protecting him, but also, he felt a bit bad, because all of them were younger than him. What had he accomplished, in 35 years? He had failed three businesses, had gotten in jail for helping traitors—which had turned out to be the ones finally stopping Sin for good, so that hadn't been half-bad—and most of all, was now being chased after for money—again. But what could he do? It wasn't his fault, really. He hadn't had the privilege of having a rough childhood, you see. No, his parents were two lovely wealthy people who had provided for him—and still would, if he and his brother Wantz hadn't bankrupted them—and he had lived a sheltered life as a young boy. This was exactly why he hadn't turned out quite as unique and courageous as all those young people had!

Yes, he was sure of it. Had his parents been killed by Sin, or something, he too would be a great fighter and maybe even a courageous knight. It was totally possible, and plausible.

\- "Ok, it's a pretty similar one, but here goes: Never have I ever, defeated Sin forever and brought the Eternal Calm."

Rikku, Tidus and Yuna sighted, beat, and proceeded to emptying the content of their glasses. Thank god this wasn't powerful liquor. They were drinking Soul Spring, a gift from Bevelle, and Baralai himself.

Those questions were dull, O'aka thought to himself. Thankfully, he was there to kick it up a notch.

\- "I have one, mates! Never have I ever... Been attracted to someone in this very circle." O'aka said, voluntarily trying to expose everyone.

It didn't fail: all of them, except for Paine—Rikku was sure she was lying—and O'aka, gulped down a sip from their glasses. Under each other's gaze, they all turned red. O'aka just smiled, obviously feeling pretty proud of himself. This was getting fun.

\- "Never have I ever… had sex with someone in this very circle" O'aka went on, under the awkward silence he relished in.

\- "O'akaaa!" Rikku growled, annoyed. "You perv! I have another one, guys: never have I ever, accidentally hit a teammate when trying to kill a fiend."

They all laughed, reluctantly admitting it had happened to them. O'aka just sighted. For such courageous, incredible young people, they were proving to be such prudes.

* * *

In the middle of that night, Rikku couldn't sleep. She felt exposed, and unready for their eventual fight on the next morning. She felt out of shape, and most of all, she didn't feel ready to face invisible enemies. She tossed and turned, hoping to fall asleep eventually. But when she realized she wasn't going to anytime soon, she decided to go train.

A few exercises later, she suddenly felt a presence. Was an enemy here right now? The thief definitely felt as if she was being watched. A voice rose in her back, and she turned, startled.

\- "Do you think it's, like, an Al-Bhed thing not to sleep at night?"

\- "Gippal damn it! I thought you were a fiend or one of those Bonecrave's minion!"

\- "Sorrey, love." He replied, in his imitation of O'aka's voice.

Rikku shook her head, both her palms facing the sky on either side of it. This man was beyond being helped.

\- "What are you doing anyway?"

\- "What does it looks like I'm doing?"

As he had stepped out of his tent a bit earlier, he had seen her from afar, moving to her left and right, bending down and back up, turning on her feet.

\- "... Practicing your dance moves?"

\- "I'm training, you idiot!" She said as she hit him in the chest.

\- "Hey, easy, easy! Can I help you with something?"

She was about to say no, but she did need some help. He had been really good-if not the best- the day before when they had trained in Macalania and she needed some advice.

\- "How exactly do you manage to stop the objects so fast? Is there, like, a special movement you do? Some kind of mental preparation?"

Gippal thought about it a bit. It was mostly instinctive. He didn't really stop to analyze what he did.

\- "Ok, here's what we're gonna do. I'm gonna close my eyes, and you're going to try to attack me, ok?"

She looked at him scornfully. He had no idea what he was messing with.

\- "Are you sure? Cause I will end you, Gipps."

He laughed, amused by her over-self-confidence. She had no idea what she was messing with.

\- "Just you try, Rikks. Just you try."

They moved away from camp, not wanting to wake the others up. He stood a few feet from her, eyes closed, arms crossed. But, since it wasn't enough for her-he could so perfectly cheat, even if that wasn't the purpose of the exercise-she gave him her blue headband.

\- "Hm, he hummed. Smells nice."

\- "Creep!" She said as she rolled her eyes, half-smiling.

Just to be sure, he had turned on himself a few times, so he truly wouldn't know from which side she would come.

She prided herself on being quick and silent-the two most important traits when trying to creep up on an enemy. She knew he was good at detecting things without seeing them, but she was sure she could take him. Rikku moved a bit, purposively made some noise to his left, then went to his right, to come back to his left. Gippal just smiled, his eyes still blocked. He knew what she was up to. And it wouldn't work.

After she felt she had covered her tracks enough, she sprinted towards him, a piece of a wooden stick in each hand—they'd figured it would hurt less than her spiky daggers, although Gippal had said it wouldn't make any difference, as she would never touch him.

The silent Calm Lands landscape flew by her as she ran, but she didn't pay attention. Rikku was entirely focused on Gippal. Before she knew it, she was right next to him, about to strike. He still hadn't budge—so much for his great reflexes—and didn't appear to know she was there. She was at his back, her left arm raised towards his left shoulder, her right aiming at his ribbing. The wooden stick inches from his skin, he suddenly grabbed it and pulled. Rikku was dragged with it, and she tried to turn on herself to free herself from Gippal's grasp and still keep her weapon, but he already had her blocked. She panted, her back firmly pressed against his chest. Both his arms were folded over each side of her shoulders, blocking her arms. She dropped her wooden sticks, defeated.

Like any self-respected smartass, he rejoiced in his victory and whispered in her left ear:

\- "You missed, Queen Rikks."

Rikku fumed, and, to reclaim her lost pride, she broke away from his grasp by wrapping her legs around his and spreading them. Surprised, he lost his balance, during just enough time for her to use his grasp on hers at her advantage. She jumped and with the impulse that gave her, she catapulted him over her shoulders. Before he knew it, he was on the ground.

\- "Not quite!"

He chucked, impressed by her competitiveness and resilience. Pulling on her blue headband, he got it out of his sight, but kept it around his forehead and said:

\- "Alright, that was a good move, I'll give it to ya. But you still failed to touch me."

He got up again, and stood before her, smiling fondly.

\- "Did that help though? Did you see how I reacted?"

\- "Not really, I was too busy being mistreated to notice anything."

He laughed, and she joined in.

\- "I like you with my headband on, by the way."

\- "You do? You think it's my color?" He said, posing for her.

She chuckled and tried to grab it, but he caught her hand as it grew close to his head.

\- "Missed again, love."

They both breathed in, realizing their faces were only inches apart now. Was he going to kiss her? Before she could stop herself, she looked at his lips. He stepped closer, closed his eyes, and so did she... But suddenly he fell on her, unconscious. She took a few step back under the weight of his body, startled.

\- "Aaaaaw! Did I just ruin your moment? I'm sorry!" A woman voice ironically asked her.

Rikku looked to her left, then to her right. Nothing. Shit, shit, shit, she thought. This was the time to prove she could actually do this.

\- "Remember me, blond bitch?"

Of course. It was the same woman they had fought back at Thunder Plains. She had recognized her voice. The blond slowly let Gippal's body fall to the ground and grabbed the wooden sticks-it was better than nothing. All was silent and dark, and her senses were in alert. The woman was clearly enjoying this, making it last. How long had she been there for? The bitch had perfectly chosen her moment, just when Gippal had let his guard down-in all senses possible.

\- "Don't worry about your friend. Our boss require we bring him everyone alive."

She wasn't worried for him-he was clearly just knocked out. No, what really worried her was that they were in a bit of trouble, the both of them: everyone was fast asleep, and pretty far away from here, she had no weapon, no potion and now, no Gippal.

\- "Can we please stop playing around and get on with it?" Rikku said, as she grew tired of the anticipation.

\- "Sure thing! After all, you asked so nicely."

She heard a flutter of wind behind her, turned on her feet... And her world turned black.


	12. Chapter 11 - Good things

Hi there!

Sorry it's been a while, and as always thanks for the great reviews, means a lot! I have been in a little writer's block here, and I like to be a few chapters ahead. But I'll be going on holiday tomorrow and I thought I'd give you something to read before then :) I'm writing a few other stories at the same time sooo I've been a bit distracted.

I'll come back soon, in the meantime enjoy! :*

* * *

 **Chapter 11 – Good things always comes in threes**

As the team awoke the next morning, it did not take them long before they sensed that something was off. It was too calm, too quiet. From the step of their tent, Yuna looked strangely at Tidus, not yet mouthing her bad feeling. His eyebrows frowned and he looked around the camp, feeling it too. Under the delicious smell of freshly baked waffles—the Al-Bhed woman had promised them breakfast on the night before—Nooj, Paine, Lucil and O'aka came out of their tents as well, but two of their teammates were missing. And suddenly, something in Yuna's mind clicked.

\- "Gippal and Rikku are missing!"

First of all, it had been quiet, too quiet. Usually, Rikku and Gippal would act as their wake up clock, with their fresh bickering, early in the morning. And second, they hadn't even come out, when the smell of food filled the air? Oh no, that wasn't good.

Increasingly worried, Nooj and Lucil searched the place. But it was true, neither of their Al-Bhed friends were anywhere to be found. And something told them they hadn't simply gone out to take an early walk.

\- "Yuna! Tidus! You search West, Lucil and I will go East, alright? If anything suspicious, you warn us, and we will too."

\- "And I'll go South." Paine decided, a hand already on her sword.

Yuna and Tidus looked at each other and nodded towards Nooj, grabbing their weapons and things and leaving at once. As promised, Clasko had send them four chocobos, and they each swiftly jumped onto one.

\- "What about me? What do I do?" O'aka asked, already grabbing his backpack.

\- "You… Stay here" Nooj said, trying to make it sound like an important task. "In case they come back."

And before the merchant could add anything, Nooj, Paine and Lucil had already taken off on the yellow birds.

\- "Fine! That'll make more breakfast for mey anyway!" he yelled in their direction, stuffing one entire waffle in his mouth as he did so.

* * *

\- "Rikku! Come on, Rikku, wake up!

\- "I told you…" she started faintly. "It's Queen Rikku for you"

He chuckled, shaking his head. He was glad to see that even in prison cells and half-conscious, she still managed to be a pain in his ass. He wouldn't have want it any other way.

\- "Are you ok?" He asked, looking at her for across the iron bars.

\- "Yeah, yeah I think so. You?"

\- "Yeah. We're in trouble, aren't we?"

Rikku didn't answer, as she slowly sat in her cell. All was dark and humid, sinister like you would except prison sells at the lair of someone who called himself Bonecrave with a straight face—although they still had yet to actually see his face, and then figure out if it was straight or not—to be. Yes, they were in trouble.

\- "Hey, could you throw me my headband back, please? If we're gonna die, I think I'd rather go with an acceptable hairstyle."

Gippal chuckled again, and threw her blue headband he was still wearing seconds ago. It fell a bit short, but she managed to grasp it by squeezing her hand behind bars and placed it back around her forehead.

\- "Ha, all better."

Gippal rolled his eyes, but what she had just said got him thinking. Were they really going to die? After all they had survived, all they had done for this world, was this really how they were going to go? Well, whether or not that was the case, he had to figure out something first.

\- "Say, Rikks?"

\- "Hm?"

\- "If we're gonna die, can I ask you an honest question?"

\- "Sure thing!"

\- "What happened between us? Like, what really happened? Was it honestly only because it didn't work out?"

Rikku said nothing. She just stared at him for a moment. She could partially see him, behind the bars, and he looked really serious. It was weird, seeing him serious. Should she tell him? He did deserve to know the truth and after all, if they really were going to die, what did it matter, anyway?

\- "No, it wasn't." She got out in a sight.

He slowly nodded, although he wasn't surprised. He could always sense something hadn't felt right. She paused, and he stared at her, silently encouraging her to go on.

\- "I didn't stay with you because my dad threatened to find another second. And I didn't want to cost you your dream. You had so many great ideas for us Al-Bhed, I couldn't be that selfish… I wouldn't have forgiven myself."

He laughed, more out of disbelief than out of genuine humor. That was the big reason? A stupid threat from her father? He looked at the floor, still trying to wrap his head around this. How could Cid had done this to him? How could she not have told him? And most of all, why had he waited so long in asking her about it? He knew the answer to that last question: his pride had gotten in is way before now.

\- "God Rikku! I spent all this time thinking of what I had done wrong. You were like… my one and only try at this monogamy thing. "

\- "Sorry…" she said in a grimace, nervously playing with her fingers. Was he really mad?

He said nothing for a bit, and then let out a long, long sight and shook his head. Between her, her dad and her brother Brother, man, they were all nutcases.

\- "That's ok" he finally said. "I'm just glad I know before... You know" He mimicked someone cutting his throat with his finger, a weird grimace on his face. "Plus... I always knew you still had the hots for me."

He winked and looked at her behind his eyelashes, like any true seducer knew how. She rolled her eyes, although she was smiling.

\- "I didn't know I was the only girlfriend you had ever had." She fired back, her eyebrows going up and down.

They both chuckled. This should have felt awkward but strangely enough, it didn't. If anything, he was glad they were finally openly talking, without the bullshit and all the stupid stuff they would say to each other, pushing each other's buttons all the time. Don't get him wrong, he loved it, but this was good too. This was… connecting, openness.

\- "You're a great girl, you know? I mean, you're like… batshit crazy and all, but you really are."

\- "Thanks. Right back at ya, big boy. I don't regret my decision. You are a great leader."

\- "Thanks… I guess?" Gippal wasn't sure if he should thank her for her compliment, or be offended that his leader skills had been enough of a reason for her to dump him without any regrets.

She paused, weighting her own words. She was looking at the ground, trying to remember how lost many of the Al-Bhed felt, and not just the Al-Bhed really, so many Spirians, before he came along.

\- "I mean it, you know? Just to think of how much more people are using and understanding technology thanks to you... Take your watches for example! ... Wait... Your watches." She looked at her arm, growing more and more excited by the minute.

\- "Yeah, I know, they're pretty cool, huh?"

\- "Gippal! Your watches!"

\- "What? What about them?" What was she getting so happy about? He knew the techs were pretty cool, but it was nothing to get euphoric about.

Rikku raised her arm in his direction, smiling from ear to ear. And indeed, right below her hand and many trinkets, the iron bracelet shone, still around her wrist. Their enemies probably had no idea what it could do, or else they would have taken it off and broken it by now.

\- "Do you know what this means?"

\- "Hmhm. We can send our exact location to the team!" Rikku almost shouted, quickly covering her mouth with her hand. This was not the time to screw this up

\- "We might not die! Oh god, you're right. I truly am a genius. I love myself."

\- "Slow down, big boy" Rikku said as she rolled her eyes again. "We have to come up with a plan, win some time. After all, for all we know, we could be on the other side of Spira by now."

But now they had hope. And they were going to fight until their last breath to turn that hope into a mean of survival and escape.

* * *

\- "Duck!"

Yuna did as ordered, and Tidus slayed a Skoll, just as it was jumping in the air to attack his girlfriend. They were surrounded. It was weird, nowadays the Calm Lands were almost fiends-free. But not today, it seemed different. Was that connected to their friends' disappearance?

Since they had left to go look for their friends, Yuna and Tidus had barely talk. He could feel like she had switch into some kind of automatic mode, shutting him off. She would barely even check to see if he was still behind her. Tidus understood that she was worried about her cousin, but he wanted to be there for her, and she didn't seem to want to let him.

\- "Yaa!" She yelled as she threw away two more Skolls, overkilling them in one blow. Her worry seemed to have decupled her strength.

Back to back, they fought off the fiends. They may have been numerous, but Tidus and Yuna were strong enough to send them back where they deserved. A Flame flan tried to cast Fira on Tidus, just as Yuna protected him with Nulblaze. And when an Ogre was charging towards Yuna, the ex-blitzball player circled both her arms with his and turned, so he would face the big fiend and she the flan. Within twenty minutes, they were done.

\- "Let's go". She said after curing him.

\- "Yuna wait. Talk to me?"

She didn't turn back, mounted her chocobo and gestured it to start running.

\- "Not now" She said. "We don't have time."

Tidus sighed and followed. He'd better let it go, she was too hardheaded. She felt like miles away from him again, and he didn't like that feeling.

* * *

\- "So, ye're an Al-Bhed, huh?" O'aka said as he winked at the blond, short-haired girl standing behind the counter.

She politely nodded but turned around, clearly making him understand she did not wish to speak to him. He sighed, and took a bite of the last cold waffle on his plate. He was sure she would not have made those had she known it was to feed a thief and a looser like himself. She had made them for the heroes and leaders of Spira. Well, unlucky for her, they had all left to be heroes, and she was stuck with him.

He wanted to be a hero, too. He looked down at his partially ate waffle and pushed the plate away. The merchant didn't feel hungry anymore. Even his teammates thought of him as a burden, dragging him around so he wouldn't do anything dumb. The whole reason he was travelling with them was so they could have an eye on him anyway. As soon as they'd reach Bikanel, they would gladly get rid of him.

Why should he stay with them, anyway? He didn't need them, he could take care of himself, couldn't he?

Just as this thought crossed his mind, he heard the squeaking sound of a chocobo behind him. Who was stopping him from leaving? He could run off to Gagazet right now, and no one would know.

\- "Well, thanks for breakfast, heh. I'm gonna go now."

The Al-Bhed simply nodded, waving her hand. But still, she wouldn't even face him. That wasn't very nice, he thought, a bit bitter. Never mind, he shook it off, he was better off on his own. The merchant approached one of the chocobos, tied up on the gate by a leash. The animal backed away, scared of the merchant, and O'aka raised his hands, trying to soothe it.

\- "Don't worrey little beast, I'm not a bad guye!"

Slowly, carefully, he grew closer and with one quick movement, he jumped on the bird, catching it by surprise. The chocobo complained, struggling to break free.

\- "Shhhhhh! Shhh! Eveything's alright, it's ekay!"

Even the Al-Bhed girl was looking at him strangely now. He waved at her, reassuring her that he was no dangerous man. Four squeaking cries later, the bird seemed to finally start to accept the merchant's presence. But at that very moment, a ringing noise arose from his wrist and the bird groused. What was going on? He looked around him, worried that Nooj or someone else had caught him trying to flee. But no one was there. Under the bird's complaints, he looked at the watch's screen. It was showing the world's map, a red point flickering around the Mushroom Road area. The signal was breaking up, and he couldn't figure out what it was. News of the Youth League?

\- "Is…Some…dy…ere?" a woman's voice whispered, her voice barely audible.

\- "Who's that?" O'aka asked. He couldn't understand that whole technology thing. It freaked him out a little, too. A voice was coming out of his wrist, for god sakes, what in all that is holly was that?

\- "O…ka?"

The voice sounded familiar. By the time it tried speaking again, a bit stronger, he had figured out who it was. He couldn't understand what she was saying, but he knew that Gagazet would have to wait a bit more for him.

\- "Rikku? Rikku is that ye? I don't understand what ye're sayin" He brought the watch closer to his face, trying to see the blurred, dark image transmitted on the screen.

\- "Yes! …Es! … Warn… Others! We … cked … Cave… Come… Qui…!"

\- "A cave? Where? Where's the cave? Rikku are ye still there? Rikku?"

No one answered and the screen turned back to black. He seemed to have been the only one who got Rikku's message. Well, what now? He looked at the immensity of the green lands. On his left, he was seeing the passage towards Gagazet. He could flee there, get lost in its heights and let the world forget about him. Or he could go right, and catch up with the others, to save two of his friends. He looked right, still unsure. Wasn't it time for him to prove he was better than what everybody thought? He had been in debt and had caused a lot of problems around him. And twice already, he had run away from all of it. Maybe now was the time to try something different. Maybe now was the time to be a hero.

* * *

\- "Yuna! What an immense joy your presence here gives me!"

The man ran, his arms opened wide, towards Yuna, but Paine blocked him the way. Tidus looked at him from afar, his arm over Yuna's chest in a protective movement. Who was that?

\- "We are here because your sister is missing, remember her? Blond hair, annoying high-pitched voice?" Paine told the dumb-looking guy in front of her. He was bare-chested, a lot of tattoos travelling across his upper body part and wearing black jeans. His skull was almost completely shaven, with only a clump of blond hair in its middle.

That's who that was! Brother, Rikku's brother. Tidus knew it was only a nickname, yet that sentence had sounded weird in his mind. He remembered him. The Al-bhed had once tried to attack them to kidnap Yuna, at Macalania's lake. And, as Yuna had told him countless times, he had been the Gullwings' boss, working _closely_ with her.

He looked at the ship. It looked like it had been pimped by some cheap, tasteless idiot. The thing was flashing red, black symbols running over its car body. Two huge wheels reassembling Zanarkand's motorbikes were rolling upfront, accompanied by two equally big on the back of the ship. With one quick glance at that guy with his mohawk, Tidus could kind of guess who had been in charge of the decoration part. Still, it was flying, and they needed to travel quickly. He didn't like his attitude with Yuna one bit. Wasn't he her cousin?

Yuna looked at Tidus, her eyebrows a bit frowned. She gently took his arm away from her chest. She didn't need protecting, especially not from Brother, _her friend._

\- "It's good to see you too, Brother." She said as she smiled at him, and he seemed thrilled, almost jumping up and down. He ran inside the ship, like an overly excited kid.

Nooj, Lucil and Paine ignored him and they boarded the ship, quickly followed by O'aka, Tidus and Yuna. It was time to rescue their friends.

* * *

\- "Ok." Tidus started, looking successively at Yuna, Nooj, Paine, Lucil and O'aka. "How should we do this?"

No one replied. They still didn't have enough information about this Bonecrave guy to really know what they were getting themselves into. All they knew was that his henchmen could turn invisible, he could most probably read their minds and capture their souls. Sounded fun so far.

\- "I have an idea." O'aka started, a resolve they had never seen shining in his eyes. "I will go there first, and let them capture me."

\- "No, O'aka, that's madness!" Yuna disagreed, worried for her friend's life.

\- "Let him finish" Nooj said gently.

\- "One or two of ye could follow, and try to catch him."

\- … "If you bring me a suit, I can probably figure out how it works."

The voice had come from behind them, and all the team turned around as one man. A little guy, in a complete beige suit was staring back at them.

\- "Shinra hi!" Yuna said. "You think you could do that?"

\- "Sure!"

They had briefly told Buddy, Brother and Shinra what they knew about Bonecrave, and the little genius had said he had heard of those invisible men. It had been months since he looked for a way of analyzing one of those.

\- "And could you create some kind of weapon to dismantle them?" Nooj asked, somewhat familiar with his abilities.

\- "Probably. From what I've seen, it should work with some kinds of air frequency. And so if I just…"

And he left just as quickly as he had showed up, already lost in his thoughts.

\- "Then what?" Tidus asked, looking at O'aka so he'd go on.

\- "Then we go in and kill the bastard!" Paine finished for him, enraged.

Yuna wasn't sure if her friend was more worried for Gippal, or for Rikku. Probably both.

\- "No. Then I let myself be captured."

\- "He's right" Nooj added. "We need to know where _exactly_ they are being held, and their watches aren't working anymore."

\- "Who says yours will?" Lucil asked, also worried about O'aka.

\- "No one. But we have to give it a shot. If it works, I'll send ye a signal and ye can come help."

\- "And if it doesn't?"

\- "Should be easy enough, if we can dismantle the suits. They'll lose their advantage."

\- "But Shinra will probably need some time to analyze it first." Yuna said. They were talking about time they didn't have. Who knew if they weren't too late already?

\- "Guys, Buddy here. We are over the Mushroom Road right now, ready to be dropped off?"

They looked at each other in silence. This was it. They had no more time to plan anything.

\- "I still can't believe he was right under our noses the whole time." Nooj fumed.

\- "We couldn't have known, sir. Just think that this way, we can mobilize our troops. It has some positive.", Lucil replied, her hand on his arm to calm him down.

Nooj looked at her and nodded. She was right. And either way, it didn't help to have regrets now. What was done, was done. They had already given orders to two dozen of their best men. They had to stand on site, close but not to close, and wait for further instructions so far. They were good fighters, but this wasn't something they could handle by themselves. The troops were back-ups, a little extra-help.

All of the team stood up, getting reading to depart. Just as they were about to leave the room, the Youth League Mevyn said:

\- "We'll try this as plan A. If it fails, we will have to improvise on site."

\- "We will be ok. We've practiced this." Tidus said as he looked at Yuna. She nodded firmly.

\- "Yes. We got this."

\- "If anything goes wrong, don't forget, we can communicate with the watches."

\- "I want a code name. Ye can call mey MagicXXIII!"

The rest of the team looked flatly at O'aka. Boy, he seemed to have missed yet again an opportunity to shut his mouth. Things were a lot less fun without Gippal and Rikku. The merchant was sure he would have gotten their full support for this code name thing.

* * *

Thanks to the "historic" of O'aka's watch, they could see the list of all the locations that had been transmitted to the device, allowing them to rewatch the spot sent by Rikku earlier. It wasn't 100% precise, but it was enough to orientate them.

As they grew closer to the spot, Yuna, Paine and Nooj looked at each other, worried. They all shared the same thought: the three of them had been there before. And it certainly was not a nice place. O'aka was leading, followed by Yuna, Paine and Lucil, with Tidus and Nooj closing the march. The more they approached, the more they were sure it was that awful, awful cave.

 _Thud. Thud. Thud._

In a same movement, Yuna and Paine turned on her feet, only to see Lucil, Tidus and Nooj passed out on the floor.

\- "I'll revive them. You take care of the bastards."

\- "Deal!"

As much as Paine would have loved making fun of Yuna who had said a bad word, she had to let it go for now. A sword in her hand, she ran, zigzagging between her friends, sure some shadows still hid there. She hit an invisible wall, and before she knew it, all was black.

What could have been minutes, hours, or seconds later, she opened her eyes only to find a hand in her direction. She grabbed it and stood back up, thanking Tidus. He, Nooj, Lucil, Yuna and her formed a circle with O'aka in the middle, protected. Each of them were facing a different direction, trying to be aware of the enemy. Yuna closed her eyes to focus, and upon seeing her, Nooj and Paine did the same.

\- "Ha!"

With one bang from her staff, the still invisible enemy fell on the floor in a loud thud.

\- "O'aka! Undress him!"

There's a sentence he'd never thought he'd heard. The merchant did as he was told, although feeling weird about what he was doing. While his friends fought, he had to feel around the shadow to find how to take off his suit. He dodged a foot, a leg, and oh, a sword while his hands travelled an invisible body.

A swift sound ringing in her left ear made Yuna aware of what was coming, and she ducked just in time, followed by Paine who stood beside her. Her grey-haired friend stroke back with her sword, and a few nanoseconds later they heard a small resonance on the floor letting them know this one was out. Tidus moved right and left, dodging invisible but lethal blows.

\- "How many do you think we are fighting right now?" he asked his friends, hearing the sword of his enemy buzzing against his chest. He had barely missed that one.

\- "No idea!"

\- "I'd say between 5 and 8 so far." Lucil yelled as she kicked the air, and it responded with a loud "aouch."

\- "O'aka! How's the suit coming along?" Yuna asked as she casted a thunder spell, counting on its fast travelling proprieties. Unfortunately, if the enemy had been there he had already moved, and her mini storm only hit the floor.

\- "Get'ing there!"

He was not getting anywhere, really, but he knew he was starting to lose his luck. His friends protected him as best they could so no one would attack him, but as time went by, the protective circle they had formed was getting more and more disrupted. O'aka felt awkward, touching this unknown guy. He had nothing against gay people, but he was not from this side of the road, no thanks. He rapidly passed his right hand along the guy's arm—or at least he thought—and hoped—it was his arm—and something felt less mythrily and snake-skin-like than the rest of the suit. He looked for the odd element again, circling the area with his fingers. And there it was, a smooth round area. He pressed it, and suddenly the body of the man—who was, in fact, a girl—was he going through such a long dry spell he could not tell the difference anymore?—appeared on the floor. He looked at the tip of his fingers only to find out he had pressed a little black button that seemed to make the suit reappear.

\- "They've got on/off buttons on their right arms!" He yelled, sharing his knew found information."

\- "Thanks, would be really useful if we could actually see their arms!" yelled Paine as one of her knee fell to the ground and she stayed, panting, a hand in the side of her chest.

He looked around, and he realized that in the few minutes he had spent focused on the shadow, his friends had somewhat lost their advantage. Paine was almost on the floor now, Tidus was protecting a low HP-Yuna and Lucil seemed to weaken.

Was he allowed to undress a girl? Something felt so wrong about him undressing an unconscious girl. But he took a second glance at his friends and realized they weren't going to hold on for much longer, they needed him. Closing his eyes, he grabbed the zipper and started pulling down. He half opened one eye and sighed in relief. She was wearing a top underneath the suit. Quickly, he took it out of her and proudly stood, shaking the suit above his head like a flag.

\- "I got it guys! I got it!"

But an enemy flew by him and pulled it from his grasp.

\- "Damn it!" He cursed, hating himself for his clumsiness. "I had it…"

Lucil planted her katana on the floor, the tip of her blade first and she quickly backed away a few steps. Then she ran and gracefully jumped on her weapon, using it to propel herself. Just as the shadow was dragging the suit flew by her—was it on some kind of miniature ship of some sort?—she extracted it from his grasp and threw it to O'aka.

\- "Now run! Go!"

And the merchant did. He ran as fast as he could, trying to forget the high probability of an invisible attack that could come from anywhere. He had to make it to the ship. His friends were relying on him. O'aka was really mad at himself for cutting gym—he was really, really out of shape.

* * *

\- "S…S-sir?"

Oh boy. Remember the training. Do not think. Do not think. Do not think or you'll piss the Boss off.

\- "What is it?" He seemed bored. But bored was good. Bored wasn't mad.

\- "There seem to be… We have… I mean."

\- "Talk. Now." The boredom had left his voice. Crap.

He had barely risen the tone of his voice, and yet the soldier knew it was its last warning. He hated to be on report duty. They would always flip a coin, his co-workers and him. And it was already his third time reporting this week alone. He suspected them to be using a tricked coin on him. Shit! Had he thought this "out loud"?

\- "Intruders!" He said quickly to cover up his thoughts. "It seems we have intruders in the near area, your majesty, sir!"

The man laughed. Or at least his subordinate thought it was a laugh. It was such a guttural, sinister echo, worlds apart from the light and pleasurable sound composing a "normal" laugh, that only its repetitiveness had tipped him off.

\- "I know. I had been waiting for them."

\- "So… What are we to do, your highness, sir?"

\- "Nothing. Let them come."

The shadow bowed down and left the dark, wide room. This was the weirdest order he had ever gotten from The Boss. Do nothing. Why? He shivered. Something told him it was not to spare the intruders. No, he was going to do something even worse than the usual, the employee could sense it.

\- "Well, well. I guess it's time to see my old pals again."

The massive silhouette stood in front of the fire, and with one quick inspiration, the crackling sounds stopped and the red and yellow light faded until they disappeared completely. He needed all the energy he could get.

* * *

Panting, barely standing up, the rest of the team stood in front of the mysterious door. The enemies were gone. They had defeated many, but the rest had just vanished as suddenly as they had appeared. They would have rejoiced if it hadn't been so suspicious.

Yuna cured them, but she was tired, so tired already. Tidus gave her an ether he was guarding for her, but still, she lacked energy. They needed some rest, if only for a few minutes.

Tidus abruptly walked towards the door and she studied it, both intrigued and scared by its symbols. It seemed so ancient he couldn't figure out how it could open. At the base of the door a purple circle was engraved. At its center, a golden sphere protected a blue pearl. From either side of it, two gold wings proudly spread. And above it, eight thin lines weaved like little snakes, covering the rest of the stony entrance. Finally, in the middle of the snakes, this big, wooden head rested. As Tidus approached even closer to analyze its face, he took three steps backwards when he felt a red, powerful gaze fixating on his.

\- "The Den of Woe." Nooj simply said, looking at Yuna and Paine. "I never thought I'd have to go back in there."

\- "You know about this place?"

\- "I do, too." Yuna replied before Nooj could, looking at Tidus. "We are going to have to be careful. I can still feel a lot of anger, resentment, and hatred from the other side of the door. I don't even know if we can trust ourselves inside."

\- "What do you mean, Yuna?" Tidus said, failing to grasp what she meant.

\- "Inside, it's full of pyreflies." Paine went on. "They are memories, pieces of souls from long wasted bodies. And they resent us for the mere reason of being alive. But… They aren't like your usual unsent. They not only attack us, they take control of us. Make us turn on each other."

\- "But… I don't understand. Shuyin is gone, so this place should be empty, shouldn't it?" Lucil asked, looking respectively at Nooj, Yuna, and Paine as she waited for a reply.

\- "Unfortunately, Shuyin's spirit wasn't the only one in there… He killed so many people during the Crimson squad mission…" Nooj closed his eyes, terrible flashes grimly dancing in his mind.

They sat in silence for a bit, listening in on the silence. They could almost hear them, the pyreflies. Praying, singing, chanting, threatening, trying to draw them in. it was a creepy song they were humming.

\- "It's not all…" Yuna finally said, her voice barely higher than a whisper. "I… I can sense new souls, that weren't there before… There's… so many of them."

When she looked back up, her gaze falling on Tidus, he noticed that her blue and green eyes were watery. She seemed so upset and fragile, he just wanted to run up to her and hug her tight, protect her from whatever invisible horror she could sense. But she had acted distant lately, and he didn't dare.

\- "We don't have a choice. I think we should go in there."

\- "Good call, pretty boy." Paine sarcastically snapped at Tidus. "We go in. Then what? Do you have any idea what that place does to you?"

\- "Paine…"

\- "Then we fight it! I know we can fight their control. And Yuna, you can send them, right? I'll protect you while you do." He said, trying to cheer his teammates up.

With the back of her hand, she dried her baby tears and quickly nodded once. Her eyebrows slightly frowned, she got on her feet, grabbing her staff-sword firmly. Tidus had managed to remind her of her own strength she had forgot about for a brief moment.

\- "You're right. We lost enough time already, we should go. We have to find them ourselves." She said as she looked at Paine, and then at Nooj and Lucil.

As only reply, they got up and stood in line before the door. Nooj and Lucil mumbled into their watches, letting their troops know of their whereabouts and of the plan. They would wait for Lucil to call them inside. As Nooj placed his palm in the middle of the golden circle, and just like that the passage obliged and opened. It felt like a trap. It probably was, but they had no other option than going in and hoping to come out in one piece.

* * *

The first thing that stroke them was the smell. It was so heavy, so charged with fear, suffering and barbaric torture, it instantly turned their bloods to ice and made them nauseous. Breathing through their mouths, they slowly, carefully started entering the dark cave. There were no lights, nothing. It seemed as if the pyreflies Yuna could perfectly hear and feel had gone into hiding, trying to catch them by surprise. Nooj and Lucil stood in first line, quickly followed by Tidus, a protective arm over Yuna, and Paine behind them, assuring their rears.

Like two spotlights lighting up the showmen, two fire explosions resonated from either side of them. At first they thought of an attack, but as they stood with their weapons drawn, their breaths heavy, they realized it was not.

\- "Is that…"

\- "Lava?"

Two burning, deeply rooted lava rivers, that's what it was. Every two or three seconds, the micro eruptions detonated again, like precisely timed bombs. It felt like drums, giving this place a sad rhythm, a theme as they went deeper into it with each passing footstep. Every two or three seconds, a powerful red light shone, allowing them to analyze the place. Lucil was already on the task, looking at a different nook each time, mentally mapping the place.

Yuna wasn't that focused. The lava rivers intrigued her and she narrowed her eyes as the next explosion was about to burst. 1. 2. 3. And _boom._ As the little fire particles poured down in a cracking sound, like tired fireworks letting gravity reclaim its right on them, Yuna noticed something odd. Iron chains were engraved in the walls. And quickly she saw it. And she would rather have not. Bones. Humans, and animal bones, half eaten by the lava already. She could see two almost complete skeletons, one smaller than the other. An insane thought flew in her mind but she chased it away before it fully reached her conscience. She simply refused to accept it.

\- "Any idea where Gippal and Rikku could be?" She asked, just to get out of her own head.

\- "Not really so far. This place is way bigger than I thought it would be."

\- "Look out!"

It was all that Paine managed to yell before they appeared. An army of angry pyreflies, whooshing in their direction. They weaved like flying snakes, getting closer in their macabre dance.

\- "Yuna!"

\- "On it!" She replied as she grabbed her staff with her two hands. She too, could dance.

They were far past the lava rivers now, and the only lights came from the pyreflies themselves. Everything else was black. They couldn't fight them, as much as they tried. Tidus, standing in front of Yuna had tried indeed. His swords came through the piece of souls, but had no effect whatsoever on them. All they could do was dodge them, and protect Yuna as she slowly granted each of them with the peaceful rest they deserved at long last. But it was too slow, and they were outnumbered. They needed a second, or even a third, summoner.

As he stood in front of her, facing her to encourage her, Yuna saw Tidus' face change. His expression was comforting, encouraging, until it was not. His eyebrows met, and his mouth twisted into a rage spasm. She could see in his eyes that he was trying to fight it, but the pyrefly got the better of him.

\- "Haaa!"

At the very last minute, Yuna interrupted her dance and jumped backwards, dodging Tidus' sword by an inch.

\- "Come on Tidus! Snap out of it, please!"

But he didn't. She kept dodging and jumping to avoid his blows. He was like a berserk, hitting her non-stop, with an incredible strength she didn't normally know him to have. She looked at her left to see Paine who had just knocked out Nooj so he wouldn't hit her. Lucil was using a powerful magic light to cast the enemies away, and she quickly yelled for Paine to come behind her.

Yuna looked back at Tidus and, in her flee, she fell to the floor. She didn't even have the time to cast a spell on him or hit him, he was too fast. He raised his sword, about to strike, but she blocked him with her staff. She was holding it across her chest with her two hands, but he kept pushing and pushing. Soon he would break her staff and god knows what would happen.

\- "Don't do it! Fight it! You told me you would fight it!" She yelled under her effort. "It's me, Yuna. The girl you love, remember?"

His eyes twitched, and she could see some part of him coming back, softening his eyes. He shook his head, and slowly, the weight of his sword lowered. But then they heard a crack, his gaze turned blank, and he fell on her.

\- "Men are weak." Paine scoffed before jumping to Yuna's side.

The light was effective, but Lucil wasn't sure she could hold it for long. Yuna brought Nooj and Tidus back to life, and the commander urged them to come behind her.

\- "Now would be a good time to call in some reinforcements, don't you think?" Paine said.

\- "Sure!" Tidus replied as he dodged a pyrefly on his left "'Cause we definitely need more people likely to turn on us."

 _Boom._ They were losing field, getting closer to the lava rivers again. Tidus looked at the souls, puzzled. As the explosion rang out, the pyreflies had one same spasm, as if the noise had startled them. But they didn't really seem scared of the sound. No, they were scared of…

\- "The light!" Tidus screamed, struck by an idea. "Lucil, think you can light up this place?"

Nooj's second looked around her, trying to find something to cast her light too. She threw a ball of light at her left, just as yet another blast exploded noisily. There were some torches running up the walls. She breathed in, and ran towards the middle of the place, her shield white from the light it casted before her.

\- "Lucil!" Nooj and Yuna yelled in unison.

The lady didn't turn. Before the pyreflies could even touch her, she began turning on herself, over and over again. The brightness embraced her, forming a white cocoon around her. As she turned and turned, the light became stronger and stronger, until it blinded them.

\- "Close your eyes, all of you!" She warned her allies.

They did as ask. Even with their eyes closed, the burning white light was uncomfortable. And then, a second later, it was gone.

Yuna opened one careful eye, and then another. Lucil turned less and less fast as the light decreased, until she came to a stop and nearly fell. She dropped a knee to the ground to steady herself. Nooj, Tidus, Paine and Yuna looked around them. All of the torches were lit, and the souls were gone.

Some things were better off not seeing. They tried to refrain themselves from looking too much, but sometimes their curiosity was too strong and they would shoot a glance left or right, only to see rest of bodies and unidentifiable but equally horrifying things scattered on the ground.

\- "Good thinking, Tidus." Nooj said, impressed by his idea.

\- "Guys! I think it's that way!" Lucil called, already far up ahead.

\- "No time to waste, let's go!"

In case he hadn't before, now the enemy certainly knew they were here. But at least the pyreflies were gone for now. One problem was fixed, but they still had two others to worry about. Finding their friends. And killing Bonecrave.


	13. Chapter 12 - always come in threes

I'm sorryyyyyy!

I know it's been forever, but I was working during most of the summer and then I was travelling and then I kinda lost the will to write... Anyways :)

So I'm not super happy about how this all turned out, but it's how it is! It's the last chapter I have entirely finished, so you might have to wait a bit for the rest, but it'll come, I promise! (Although it's back to school for me tomorrow :'( sad sad)

Also! As I started writting, I felt like drawing the characters as I imagined them. I finally decided to post it yesterday so if you want to check it out, it's here: art/The-Path-to-Reconnection-635612794

See yaa!

* * *

 **C** **hapter 12 – Good things always comes in threes, part 2**

\- "Hey Lucil, how come you can do that?" Tidus asked the red-haired woman walking next to him.

\- "The lightcasting you mean? I actually… Don't know. I've been able to do this for as long as I can remember. It's why I was named Lucil. It means _light_ in old Spirian."

Tidus nodded, impressed. That certainly was a cool power she had there. It had been pretty useful to them earlier.

They were marching along the long corridors of the cave. Lucil would light one torch after the other, and Yuna, now closing the march, would cast Water on them after they had passed, turning the place back to black.

Nooj wondered how Lucil could know where she was headed. This place was like a maze, and they had no idea how big it was. Still, he would never doubt her, and so far she seemed more or less sure of the direction. As they turned left, Yuna left one single torch lit, so they'd know where they had come from, should they need to turn back.

After a couple more corridors, they landed on yet another gigantic room, as dark and creepy as the rest they had explored so far.

Paine jumped, the hairs at the back of her neck suddenly standing on end. She had felt a gust of wind behind her. In one swift move, she turned, her heavy sword in hand. Nothing. Of course.

\- "Stay alert guys. Something is here."

As a reply, each of them drew their weapons. They kept walking, carefully, following Lucil. Yuna stopped. She had felt it too. By now, they were familiar with the sensation. Shadows were here. She briefly wondered if they merely enjoyed toying with them a bit before striking, at the risk of losing their however really useful element of surprise, or if they were just bad at being completely quiet.

Her hand found Tidus', and they both closed their eyes, trying to focus on their training. The rest of the team stopped as well. It was no use to keep going until they had finished with them. They formed a large circle, Yuna, followed by Tidus, Lucil, Paine, and Nooj.

\- "Come on, little pussies. How bout we get on with it?" Paine asked, trying to provoke them into attacking.

It didn't fail. Her sword shielded her face, just in time for the iron of the enemy's weapon to clinch with it in a loud _cling_.

\- "Let's dance!"

It was time for round two.

* * *

\- "Do you think they're ever coming for us?"

\- "Fear not, Gippunzel. Your princes will come rescue you from your dungeon soon enough."

He chuckled, distractively playing with some bit of dirt on the wall. The girl had sass.

\- "If I'm the princess, what does that make you? The dragon?"

\- "Nah. I'm… "

\- "The noble steed?"

\- "Hey careful now." She said, scared to read a sexual innuendo there. With Gippal, you could never know. "Nope. I'm the …"

\- "Oh I know! You're the annoying side-kick! You know, the little animal-thing that keeps the princess company while she waits, always jumping around and acting annoyingly happy?"

\- "…" She stopped, thinking about it for a while. Then she shrugged, defeated. "I can't argue with that."

Gippal raised both his arms in victory, silently screaming out his pride. "And Gippunzel evens the scoooore" he mouthed, barely whispering the words.

They let the silence sink in for a minute. Then two. Rikku sighed and Gippal echoed her. They weren't sure how long they had spent in here, but it was clear their captor didn't plan on giving them food anytime soon. Her hands rested on her poor, empty little belly. As if it responded to her whiningly, it gurgled so loud Gippal jumped. Then he burst into laughter, and so did she.

\- "Haaa. Maaaan. I'm so hungry I would eat the cockroaches, if this place had any."

\- "This place is probably too disgusting and creepy, even for them."

\- "That's why you fit so perfectly in here."

\- "Tss. Too easy."

He began patting his stomach, finding a rhythm. His voice followed, humming a song that sounded familiar to Rikku. But she couldn't remember what it was, and she didn't really care enough to ask him. He had a nice voice, she could even see herself falling asleep listening to his lullaby. Yes… she would dream of the breakfast she never got to have. Her mouth grew watery at the idea of her favorite meal: oatmeal with cannel and sugar, a big cactuar juice and six big machina-shaped pancakes. Her stomach growled again, and she dismissed the thought, biting her lips.

\- "Say, annoying creature?"

\- "Hm?" She said, her eyes still closed.

\- "How bout we try to save ourselves and stop waiting for our princes to show up?"

\- "That's the best thing you've said all day, princess."

* * *

They were outnumbered.

From Lucil's observations, she guessed they were fighting against approximately thirty Shadows. And probably three were on her at this very moment. They had wounded her a bit, but it was only superficial injuries so far. Although the problem was that she was starting to feel really tired. The light she had casted earlier had left her with a lot less energy. She wasn't sure how long she could go on, and Yuna didn't have time to heal her now. She grabbed a potion in her bag and drank it, just as she blocked a sword with her katana. Only when the steel touched her weapon could she see her enemy's sword.

Paine was handling it, for now. One Shadow was attacking her from behind, while two others—or so she suspected—were making the blows rain on her chest area. She managed to dodge the majority of them, and even to counter attack efficiently. But it was getting long. They didn't aim to kill so far. They were just repetitively attacking. She suspected it was to tire her, and to make her used to one attack pattern, until they did something different and surprised her. She wasn't sure they were good enough to have thought about it, but it was never good to underestimate an enemy.

Tidus and Yuna were fighting together, back to back. From what Nooj could see, they were pretty well coordinated. Yuna would cast spells and block most of the attacks, while Tidus took care of the physical offensive side.

\- "Let's switch!" Yuna told him, and they turned around, switching sides.

How long could they go on like this? It felt like fighting a hydra. Every time they heard an enemy fall, three new ones seemed to emerge. The fight was endless and they were growing tired.

* * *

\- "Ok, so. Jumping on the bars does not work. Neither does screaming them into moving. And I can't possibly fit under there. What do we do?"

They had tried all they could think of, from the most rational to the less, and nothing worked. This place was heavily protected and, most of all, they had nothing they could use.

Or did they?

\- "Toss me your watch and a pin from your hair." Gippal replied, feeling suddenly inspired.

Puzzled, she complied and watched him expectantly. What did he plan to do with those?

\- "Are you building a bomb, big boy?"

He stopped for a bit to wink at her, and got back to work. He smashed her watch to the floor repetitively, until it burst out on the ground. Then he did the same with his. All Rikku could do was watch, and try to guide him when he wasn't sure what do to. He was the expert really, but she knew a bit too. They had formed a good team back when they were repairing old machinas together. They could still be a good team now.

After a while, Gippal rose his two hands in front of him. Cupped inside was his little two-watches-shaped bomb. He breathed out, looking at Rikku.

\- "Shall we?"

She nodded, nervously biting her lips. He closed his eyes as he pressed the button and threw it on the bar of his cell. It clicked once. Then twice.

And _boom_.

It had exploded alright. Noisily so. But the explosion had been so small only the dust around it lifted, making Gippal cough. He sighed, disappointed.

\- "Throw it to me, I wanna try something."

He picked up the pieces, tried to put it back together, and threw it to her. They were doomed.

* * *

\- "Did you hear that?" Yuna asked Tidus.

It had come from behind them. Was that another lava river? It didn't seem so. Was it more enemies? Or could it be Gippal and Rikku? Someone had to check it out.

But not now. Tidus fell, knocked out dead by yet another invisible enemy. Yuna revived him just in time before she fell to the ground as well. It was getting impossible to go on. Nooj, Lucil and Paine had tried to regroup a bit, but when the team was growing increasingly exhausted, the number of enemies didn't seem to decrease. Yuna was almost out of mana, and they were out of Ether. Just like they were out of potions, phoenix downs, patience, and stamina.

As an invisible fist crushed her jaw, Lucil fell to the ground. Nooj was panting, his leg hurting more than ever. Paine gulped down the blood that was piling up on her mouth with a grimace. Tidus protected Yuna and received a knife in his stomach. He fell to his knees under the pain. Yuna tried to heal him, but nothing happened. They were out of time.

\- "I'm sorry." She said as she dropped her staff to her feet.

\- "Don't say that." Tidus said, grimacing under the pain. "It's not over yet".

But wasn't it?

The blows kept coming, and they received them with clenched jaws. This time, Yuna threw herself in front of Tidus as she heard the piercing sound of steel ripping through the air. It broke on the rest of the shield she had casted, reducing the blow. But her HP were critically low, and she couldn't even stand anymore.

Nooj tried to wake Lucil up, but she wasn't reacting. With a trembling head, he checked for her pulse. It was still beating. As he let out a sigh of relief, it morphed into a panting sound. The sword had broken the skin, and blood dripped from his chest.

\- "It was nice fighting alongside you until the end, my friends." Nooj said as he dropped to the floor, over Lucil's body.

Tidus and Yuna looked at each other. This was it, they thought. They were either going to die now, or be captured, and be tortured to be killed later. Either way, it wasn't a nice prospect.

\- "Not until the end" He said.

\- "Always." Yuna replied, squeezing his hand as hard as she could. And he felt her falling. He grabbed her by the waist and buried his face in her hair. He could feel her warm, uneasy breath against his chest.

\- "Now's not the time to go all softey on mey, mates!"

The air seemed to move. To fizzle. And then came the sound. It was so high-pitched, so loud and deep inside their brains all three of them fell to the ground, covering their ears. During one second, all Shadows were visible in their night gowns, and then they disappeared again. Was it…?

A second wave of high-pitched frequencies hit them, and this time, after twitching a few more times, all enemies stayed visible. The hope and given them a new strength, and Tidus and Paine had never been happier to see their merchant friend, leading the Youth League troops.

Twenty of their best men against fifty-ish of the Shadows-not-so-shadowy-anymore. It looked like they might just have their chance.

\- "You heard that?"

* * *

O'aka and his supplies had been most welcomed. He had given them—and for free—many ethers, potions, phoenix downs. All the products they needed to perk up. They had flown away from the battlefield with him, aided by five of their men, carrying Lucil and Nooj—Tidus had insisted on carrying Yuna, even if he himself needed help walking. All the while, Nooj's and Lucil's troops were battling fiercely their now visible enemies.

\- "Phew. That one was pretty close. Thank you O'aka, you're the best." Tidus said as he shook his friend's hand, a big smile on his face.

\- "Hmmm."

He turned his head to see Yuna, who was laying on a stretcher—they had come equipped, he had to hand it out to them—began to stir. Before she could even get up, he was already at her side, hugging her tightly. She coughed under his tight embrace, and he moved back a bit to stare in her eyes.

\- "Hey beautiful. How you feeling?"

\- "Much, much better." She said in a small smile. "You?"

\- "Now, I'm great." And he kissed her passionately, forcing his tongue down her mouth without so much as a warning. A bit startled at first, she felt an explosion of butterflies down her stomach and spreading everywhere, from her fingertips to the tip of her toes, and she responded to his kiss, barely stopping a moan from escaping her mouth. Her hands found his hair, as they usually did, and she pushed his face to hers.

\- "Yuck. Guys, seriously. I'm this close to throw up on you." Paine said as she drank from a flask of water.

O'aka looked away after staring for a beat too long.

\- "So. Apart from ye guys almost dyin, what's the situation?"

\- "I think I know where Gippal and Rikku are. I heard a noise."

\- "So did I" Lucil said, for once not looking so perfectly professional and with her red hair smooth and straight. She was pale, but seemed ok enough. "Shall we move?"

\- "I wanna sleep a bit more, mamitaaa" Nooj said as he rolled over his stomach and grabbed Lucil's arm with his, like a boy would his blankie. Her cheek felt warmer, from the surprise, and she was happy it was too dark for anyone to know. She was a grown woman, for god sake's. Grown women did not blush at the mere touch of the opposite sex.

Silence. They all stared at each other for a moment, their eyes as round as a blitzball, oblivious of everything else. It was so out of character they all burst into laughter, which made Nooj jump.

\- "What are you all laughing about?"

But then it wasn't so funny anymore. Accompanied by their familiar long, long sigh, they were back. Some were more high-pitched than others, but all were coming their way.

\- "Pyreflies"

Brought back to reality, they got up and prepared for yet another fight. But as the first one touched O'aka, it merely traversed him, making him shiver, but it did not possess him. Neither did the others, and they stood, puzzled, as the pyreflies continued their journey, all pouring down from one place to another, deep down the cave. It was like they were being drawn to something. Or… Summoned.

\- "Bonecrave." They all said in one voice. And their mood dropped to their socks.

With one look at Tidus, Yuna knew they had understood each other.

\- "We'll try to stall him, you go rescue Gippal and Rikku. Sounds like a plan?"

And before they could say anything or argue against their suicidal plan, they were already gone.

* * *

Following the path of souls, they arrived in a small, dark room, with some lights here and there from holes in the celling. A footstep. He was here.

The long, creepy sigh stopped as soon as the pyreflies reach the man—or whatever he was—and they stood, disgusted, as he leeched each piece of souls, one after the other.

\- "My my, what a pleasure to see you again in flesh and blood, Lady Yuna. I never thought I'd get the chance." The voice emerged from the shadow.

Against all odds, it was a familiar voice.

She would have recognized it any day, any time. It was forever whithin her as though branded on her mind, closely mixed with all her rage and hatred. With one look at Tidus, she knew he knew it too. But how was it possible? Did that man truly refused to disappear from Spira? After all their attempts to rid the world of him and his madness?

\- "Seymour! How can this be?"

The man laughed, and they turned in its direction, all their members bent, ready to fight.

\- "Ha..." He said as he stopped laughing to the apparently hilarious joke only he seemed to get. "You never disappoint, Lady Yuna. But I'm not Seymour. Not anymore."

\- "Who are you then? What do you want?"

Yuna had almost yelled those words, holding her staff so tight her knuckles were turning white.

\- "Yuna, Yuna, Yuna. Dear, sweet, pure Yuna. I can still see the resolve burning in your eyes. It's beautiful. You haven't changed... I cannot say the same."

He seemed freakishly calm, and didn't appear to want to fight... Yet. He wasn't engaging, and neither was them. The waiting was making Tidus lose it. He was full of apprehension, and he needed to act, to fight, to distract his mind and find his cool. This wasn't good. Part of him still hoped for a very twisted Mafia guy. But this. This was so much worse.

\- "I have to say I'm impressed. A protective spell prohibiting me from entering your minds. I see someone did her homework. But let's see how long it lasts, shall we?"

Under the effort, Yuna gasped and her whole body bent. Tidus came to her, and grabbed her shoulders, trying to protect her. He put the weight of her body on his, lost as to what to do. He couldn't do anything. The bastard was attacking her mind, pushing her till her breaking point.

\- "Hey Boney!" Tidus started, to grab Bonecrave's attention. "I have a question. Are you guys always fighting in the shadows because you're pussies or also because you're ugly AF?"

It worked, he released Yuna, and her body instantly seemed to relax. But the pull hadn't disappeared, it just shifted. And now Tidus fell to the ground, holding his head with his hands, trying to somehow stop the pain.

\- "Fine, if you want to die first, I can work with that. I never liked you anyway."

\- "Stop it! Leave him!"

In her desperate attempts to free Tidus from Bonecrave telekinesis pull, she was casting all sorts of spells, but with one quick movement of his hand after the other, he was dodging them all. He didn't even seem to be making any effort to do so.

Tidus was yelling from the excruciating pain. It seemed to grow with each passing second. He felt like his head was about to blow up from the inside. All he saw was red, he could barely feel what was going on around him. He was starting to forget who he was, how he had been there. All he saw was red, bloody red blind pain.

\- "I'll do anything. Just stop, I beg you!"

And with that, the pain stopped, and Tidus rolled to the floor, panting and gasping. Yuna ran to him, helping him up and curing him with all her last MPs.

\- "Anything I want, huh? How I have wished you'd say this one day, lady Yuna."

How could this guy still say he wasn't Seymour when he so clearly was? Yuna couldn't understand. But also, how could he be Seymour? They had fought him four times, two years ago. And the last time, Yuna had sent him. It didn't make any sense. How could this man always come back? He was like Sin, never really dying, bound to Spira's fate.

\- "Ha yes... I suppose you are half right. I am Seymour... But I am so much more now."

He could read his mind? Had he pierced her defenses already? She was already so tired, and they hadn't even started.

\- "What... What do you mean?"

\- "I suppose it's story telling time, isn't it? But first, I think it's time you see me at long last, my Lady Yuna."

He took a step. And another one. As he stepped into the light coming from a small hole on the celling, like a spotlight, Yuna and Tidus' faces fell. He was haunting. Bonecrave had trouble walking, and even standing. He was dragging his left foot, weirdly twisted on the ground, with the rest of his horrid, putrid pack of skin. One of his legs had a different, darker shade than the rest of his body and it was clearly longer. That's when they understood: his body was made out of different members from different people, all patched up together in a terrible, grim collage. He was wearing this long, blue and green toga, thankfully hiding most of his members. But then they looked at his face.

One of his eyes was piercing blue, like Seymour's, and the other was dark-red, glowing in the dark. They were a few centimeters apart and one was far higher than the other. His nose was crushed on his cracked skull, twisted on one side. It looked like he had fell face first from the 13th floor of a building, and never recovered. His mouth was partly sewed, on the right side, and it was contorted, almost vertical. Now they understood what the witch had meant when she had told Elma that he was "many people". They could barely bare to stare at him, but they had to: he couldn't scare them.

\- "You see, lady Yuna. I was dead, but a part of my soul lived on. My hatred roamed Spira aimlessly. And it did so, for so long, until it found this place, thanks to you, I think. And then it found other pieces of hate, and they all merged with mine. Today, you are lucky, I am mostly Seymour. But somedays, I am someone else. It's a bit messy at times, and we want different things: money, power, torture, revenge, death. But you see, we also have this common goal."

He didn't have to say what it was, they already knew. Seymour had always been so twisted. Lord Jyscal, his father Seymour had killed himself, thought it was because of him. But maybe it was mostly because of his mother, who had chosen to die to give her son an aon, Anima, instead of staying alive for him. Then, he had spent most of his life living in exile that he had chosen, alone in the Temple of Baaj. As the son of both a Guado and a human, he didn't fit anywhere. Everybody rejected him, and his own mother had told him he had to kill Sin, hence die as well, for people to accept him. That had to play a lot of tricks on a little boy. And here, he had turned out to grow into the worst person he could have become. A man eaten away by vengeance and hatred for everyone. His soul was as dark as an endless, starless sky.

\- "Things are still the same. We still need to put this broken world out of its misery. We have to destroy it all, release all those tortured souls. Join me, Yuna. I still want you by my side, as I always have."

\- "How many times do we have to kill you for you to understand that I will never become your ally?"

\- "I suppose you are right", he said slowly as he chuckled, his voice turning into a cough. "But it still pains me so to have to kill you. Don't you worry though, I'll kill him first"

With that, he sent Tidus across the wall. His lifeless body came in contact with it so hard that, when he fell to the ground, some stones moved, threatening to fall over him. But as they did, Rikku threw a grenade that blew the stones in such tiny pieces the rain of pebbles was inoffensive.

Gippal followed her, and they stood from either side of Yuna, ready to fight. They were quickly joined by the rest of the team. They formed a line, all of them facing Bonecrave. He still hadn't moved from his stone pedestal.

\- "Oh, how fun, all the team is here at last. Did you enjoy your stay, miss Rikku? Thank you for bringing your friends to me, I owe you for that. But it really was O'aka who did all the hard work. I didn't think I'd have the chance to see you all so soon. It's really…"

\- "Shut up! Jeez, don't you ever stop talking?" Gippal said, unimpressed. "We could hear you from across the corridor."

\- "Yeah, he's actually worse than you Gip!"

\- "Very well. Shall we start, then?"

He was sending pain waves. They couldn't fight against most of them, although Yuna and Lucil were actively trying to protect the team with all sort of magical barriers. But, one after the other, Bonecrave broke their defenses, and Gippal, Nooj and Paine kept getting hit. Hazed by the pain, they couldn't move. Rikku seemed to be the only one Bonecrave couldn't touch, for some unknown reason. But everytime she tried to approach him, she'd hit an invisible wall, and was thrown a few feet back.

Paine got up, ignoring her brain contracting and the pain that supposed, and she casted a special spell on her sword, breaking the invisible wall. She almost hit the monster, but he stroked her down first. Lucil ran to her and took half of the blow as she tried to protect her. Bonecrave laughed, and he casted what looked like a deathly spell towards Lucil. But instead of touching the young woman, it fell against the sharped steel of Fraternity. Tidus took his weapon out of his face, so Bonecrave could see his death stare, proving him that he wasn't afraid. He had regained his conscience and wasn't close to giving up.

The fight seemed endless, they couldn't reach him. Each time they tried, he disappeared to reappear a few steps further. Nooj thought about what could be his weakness. And then he looked at how Bonecrave was fighting every one of them but Yuna.

\- "Yuna! "He called her and nodded towards the monster. After a few seconds, her face lit up as she understood and she nodded. She was his weakness.

\- "Seymour, you have to stop this".

\- "Stop calling me by this name." He said as he dropped a stone on her, but from far enough so she could easily see it coming and dodge it.

\- "You have no reason to do this anymore. Spira is free of pain, now."

\- "Is it? How naive are you, Lady Yuna. As long as there will be humans here, Spira will always be ruled by fear and pain, even if you can't always see it. It is there."

\- "You're wrong! That's your own grief talking, nothing else"

\- "Hm." He distractedly listened to her, as he watched her teammates enabled to move. Tidus, Rikku and Lucil were trapped by a black liquid that was gaining field on their bodies. Nooj and Paine helped them out of it, but it kept coming back.

She had to try again. He had feelings for her, she still ignored why, but he had always had. And even now, more monstrous than he'd ever been, he still felt something for the High Summoner. Anything that was linked to humanlike feelings was his weakness.

\- "You can still stop this! I can help you find peace!"

\- "Ha. You want to be my salvation, Yuna, is that it?"

She didn't reply, looking without blinking in his misaligned eyes. She knew he would sound out her mind, and she planned on it. As she felt an alienated presence at the back of her head, like fingertips caressing her brain, she focused on all the great things Spira had now. She recalled all the peaceful agreements they walked towards making. They were finally learning from their mistakes, he had to see that. Three honest leaders were ruling Spira in harmony. The Guados and the Ronso were slowly starting to choose the path of peace instead of war.

She knew the second she had thought about the war between the two peoples, that she had lost him.

\- "The Ronso. I suppose I should have killed the remaining ones before heading to kill you. How sloppy of me. Fear not, lady Yuna, that's the first mistake I'll correct once I'm done with you."

\- "You failed to kill us then, you'll fail to kill us now, don't you get it?" Tidus said, as Yuna realized he was way beyond her reach. "We will never stop fighting!"

At least she had distracted him long enough for Lucil to gently, carefully, annihilate his defenses without him noticing. Or she hoped she had, they still had yet to try to touch him.

\- "Oh do shut up". And he dropped a stone on him.

Yuna gasped and ran towards him. In a loud _boom_ she dragged him out of the stone's range. They both fell on the floor, her on him. She sighted, relieved.

\- "Are you ok?"

\- "Yeah. Thank you."

\- "How precious. The lovely couple cuddling. I've alwa..."

He stopped as the cold iron of Gippal's sword went through his chest. While Yuna and Bonecrave were talking, he had discreetly, as only thieves knew how, sneaked behind him, and he had finally successfully attacked the aberration. His eyes opened wide, and he looked at them without seeing them, his dark gaze empty.

\- "That'll teach you to shut up."

But what should have been a deadly blow only managed to distract him for a few seconds. Bonecrave's disgusting face came back to life and broke into a horrid grin as he laughed. He jerked his arm in front of him, as if throwing an invisible object. As a reaction, Gippal was thrown at the back of the cave.

\- "Alright. I'm done playing nice now."

And the sword disappeared inside of him. It was as if Bonecrave was sucking it up, somehow. Gippal could still see bits of it, filling some of the holes in his molded chest, across the opening of his cloth. A dark purple whirlwind started at the base of his feet and trapped him, willingly so, growing and growing, morphing him into something even more vile. And when the smoked finally dispersed to show a bigger, more putrid version of him, they were impressed for a bit, but they all had seen way worst.

\- "Hey! Give it back!"

Gippal almost felt like he was on the verge of crying. It was his weapon! It had been with him for as long as he could remember, the last piece of his family he had. It had been his first and loyal companion.

\- "Rikkuuuu! He stole Sylrikh!"

\- "I know, I know. We'll get it back"

He might be playing-and pretty convincingly so-the invincible act, Rikku knew better. He was faking it. Even Sin hadn't been invincible. All they had been doing so far had weakened him more than he thought it would. Lucil noted that he seemed more anxious and less precise. The pain waves he was continuously throwing were failing more and more to touch them, partly thanks to Yuna's hard work and to him growing tired. He had lost some of his speed, and Tidus managed to strike him with his sword half of the time now. As Bonecrave raised his arm, about to cast a spell, Tidus cut the misarticulated member, and it fell to the ground before the monster could avoid the blow. Rikku took advantage of his surprise to cut a bigger hole into his chest with her dagger. The sword fell half out of it, the handle facing his navel. Nooj, also part of the offensive, tried his other arm, but Bonecrave had regained his spirits and with a powerful wave, he sent all three of them away from him. Nooj fell on Lucil, who barely held his weight.

Gippal snapped his fingers, and the sword reacted, bound to her master's wish. It moved, slowly at first, then more and more strongly, leaving the entrails of their enemy to fall back into his owner's hand.

\- "Yuck! It's covered with that guy's gastric stream."

Yuna was casting spells, and it finally seemed to be effective. Flare was proving to be the most useful so far. Bonecrave didn't seem that sure of himself anymore, he was reaching his limits. So were they, but to see him flicker was enough to give them the strength to go on. Nooj was the first to get up and to go back to the fight. He was trying to cut his head, while Lucil focused on his arm. Bonecrave kept dodging their attacks, but he didn't have time to attack himself. But suddenly, he was gone. Lucil and Nooj stopped, looking behind and around them.

\- "The deathseeker. Hm. Interesting." The voice resonated.

He appeared again and planted a knife inside of Nooj's who gasped under the chock of the pain. Rikku threw a blinding grenade as Lucil dragged Nooj away from the monster.

Nooj could feel him probing his mind. His cold, sticky fingers were around his temples, invisible to the eyes, but here nonetheless. Yuna cured his wound as Lucil took the knife out, like she would have a band-aid. It was still bleeding, but it looked ok enough. Nooj could manage. He would live on.

\- "You don't seek death anymore? How unfortunate. I'll have to grant it to you anyway!"

Concentrating all his remaining strength, Bonecrave reinforced the pull he had over Nooj's mind. Everything inside of him seemed to be moving, without him controlling any of it. His strength was leaving his body. It was the most confusing feeling. Bonecrave was sucking up his soul.

As if time had slowed down, Yuna danced with her staff, casting a spell that drained her light, the strongest she could, to fight the darkness that formed Bonecrave. It fell right on the target, and it proved to be as effective as it could. The monster was struck in place, his eyes empty again, burned by the light that kept growing stronger. But he was still fighting back, trying to eat the soul away.

Lucil yelled as she ran in front of Nooj. She casted a barrier made of whit light in front of her and him. Bonecrave yelled, agonizing. Yuna kept on dancing, sweat pouring out of her from the effort. And suddenly, he wasn't anymore. His skin disintegrated, and a thousand, millions, trillion, pyreflies exploded.

But before they could have screamed out victory, they noticed an unsettling thing. The soul-extracting spell had made a breach big enough for a piece of soul to be suck out of Lucil's body. They watched, horrified, as the little pyrefly flew in the air, hanging between the young woman and the fireworks of pyreflies lighting up the dark room of the cave.

Yuna had stroke Bonecrave with the last blow, before the pyrefly could enter his horrible body, but the piece of soul had flown away, and Lucil fell, unconscious, into Nooj's arms.

\- "Till next time..." His voice echoed, as if he was whispering those words right into the hollow of each of the team's pair of ears.

* * *

Yuna wanted to send all the pyreflies right now, but she was out of strength, Tidus didn't let her since she'd kill herself in doing it. He promised her they'll come back after some rest. But what if a piece still managed to escape and he recreated himself once again if they wait? She wouldn't budge, and so he told the others to go on without them. If she was staying, then so was he.

Back at the headquarters, they transferred Lucil and all the other wounded to the hospital part of the hut. All the white Mages attended them, but there were so many they had to call in reinforcements. The last of the Gullwings lend their services—for free, this time—to bring more people from all over Spira to help.

Finally, at the darkest hours, Tidus came back carrying an unconscious Yuna in his arms. Rikku, Paine, Nooj and Gippal greeted them, they couldn't sleep until they had heard from them. They asked him about the cave.

\- It's done". Is all he managed to say before passing out.


End file.
